noun
anathema
uh-NATH-uh-muh/əˈnæθəmə/
Someone or something regarded as utterly unacceptable.
The smoldering cigarette is anathema to the two people nearby.
Etymology
Originally something “set up” for the gods, the word moved from a dedicated offering to something devoted to evil and therefore accursed. That condemnation underlies its use for someone or something intensely disliked.
In context
Nor does the fact that there is no clear distinction between private and public settings. It is rightly anathema to free-thinking Scots that, potentially, in the privacy of their own home they can commit a crime
More examples
- Censorship is anathema to writers who value free expression.
- For this careful accountant, sloppy recordkeeping is anathema.
- After betraying his teammates, the captain became anathema to them.
Forms
anathema · anathemas
Similar words
- abomination
- An abomination provokes disgust, often because it seems morally wrong.
- taboo
- A taboo is forbidden by social custom or shared beliefs.