Word
anathema
Phoneticsanath·e·ma
US/əˈnæθəmə/
UK/ɐnˈæθəmɐ/
Definitions
01something strongly disliked
n. something that you hate or strongly disagree with because it is the opposite of what you believe.
n. something or someone vehemently disliked or loathed, often because it contradicts one's core principles.
“The idea of working in a noisy office was anathema to him.”
“To a dedicated environmentalist, the proposed expansion of the coal mine was absolute anathema.”
Formal
Usage
Usually follows the verb 'to be' and is followed by the preposition 'to'.
Synonyms
02a formal curse
n. a formal curse or religious ban that kicks someone out of a church.
n. a formal ecclesiastical ban or curse involving excommunication and denunciation.
“The council pronounced an anathema against the leader of the new group.”
“In the medieval period, an official anathema could effectively strip a person of all social and legal standing within the community.”
Formal · Archaic
Teaching tip
This historical sense is rare in modern conversation; learners will mostly encounter it in history books or religious texts.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Real-World Examples
“It is anathema to the separation of powers, which is the foundation of community confidence in the independence of the courts.” “I know this admission may be anathema to many among the Ars commentariat, but it is what it is—without the LLM, I wouldn’t have finished the project.” Etymology
Borrowed from Late Latin anathema (“curse, person cursed, offering”), itself a borrowing from Ancient Greek ἀνάθεμα (anáthema, “something dedicated, especially dedicated to eternal damnation”), from ἀνατίθημι (anatíthēmi, “I set upon, offer as a votive gift”), from ἀνά (aná, “upon”) + τίθημι (títhēmi, “I put, place”). The Ancient Greek term was influenced by Hebrew חרם (herem), leading to the sense of "accursed," especially in Ecclesiastical writers.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
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