anathema
Americannoun
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a person or thing detested or loathed.
That subject is anathema to him.
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a person or thing accursed or consigned to damnation or destruction.
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a formal ecclesiastical curse involving excommunication.
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any imprecation of divine punishment.
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a curse; execration.
noun
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a detested person or thing
he is anathema to me
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a formal ecclesiastical curse of excommunication or a formal denunciation of a doctrine
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the person or thing so cursed
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a strong curse; imprecation
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of anathema
First recorded in 1520–30; from Latin, from Greek: “a thing accursed, devoted to evil,” originally “devoted,” from ana(ti)thé(nai) “to set up” + -ma, noun suffix
Explanation
Something that one absolutely and positively cannot stand is anathema. Garlic is anathema to vampires (ditto for stakes and daylight). So is kryptonite to Superman or a silver bullet to a werewolf. Originally the term anathema comes from the Catholic practice of denouncing a particular individual or idea that was antithetical to the Catholic Church. If done to a person, it excommunicated them, meaning they could no longer partake in the church's sacraments (with presumably pretty poor consequences for the soul.) That's a lot worse than kryptonite.
Vocabulary lists containing anathema
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Anathema to old heads, BabyTron also casually falls off or behind the beat when delivering his stream-of-consciousness flow — not because he can’t rap in time but because he’s too cool to bother.
From Washington Post • Jan. 25, 2023
Anathema to the flower-power generation, Helvetica became a ubiquitous symbol of oppression on every sign in every public place in America.
From Forbes • Jun. 12, 2014
Anathema to an industry that thrives on the pinned-down demographic, Micachu collaborates extensively, mixing electro with grime, weird hoover samples, and even classical.
From The Guardian • Jul. 5, 2012
Anathema, exulting in his proven exposure of divine justice, then returns to the gates of Heaven to demand an explanation.
From Time Magazine Archive
Anathema maranatha! out with it from amongst us, even though the half of our heart's blood be poured forth in the conflict! out with it, and for ever!
From Doctor Thorne by Trollope, Anthony
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
