Iconoclast
Etymology
From Greek "eikon," image, and "klastes," breaker; the original iconoclasts smashed religious images during the Byzantine controversies of the eighth and ninth centuries. The word later broadened from breaking statues to breaking the idols of the mind.
noun · /eye-KON-uh-klast/
A person who attacks cherished beliefs, institutions, or received wisdom.
What it names
The temperament that goes at sacred cows on purpose — the professional breaker of idols.
Example
An iconoclast by nature, she built her career on demolishing the assumptions her whole field took for granted.
Related idea
The agent of iconoclasm and the enemy of every icon; today’s iconoclast smashes reputations and orthodoxies rather than statues.
noun · /eye-KON-uh-klast/
A person who physically destroys religious images and icons, or opposes their veneration — the original, literal iconoclast.
What it names
the historical breaker of sacred images
Example
During the Byzantine iconoclasm, iconoclasts stripped the churches of their painted saints.
Related idea
Destroying what others hold holy shades into sacrilege — the difference is whether you revere the image or reject it.