anathema

American  

[uh-nath-uh-muh] / əˈnæθ ə mə /

noun

• anathemas,
  plural
• anathemata
  plural

1. a person or thing detested or loathed.

   That subject is anathema to him.

2. a person or thing accursed or consigned to damnation or destruction.

3. a formal ecclesiastical curse involving excommunication.

4. any imprecation of divine punishment.

5. a curse; execration.

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anathema British  

/ əˈnæθəmə /

noun

1. a detested person or thing

   he is anathema to me

2. a formal ecclesiastical curse of excommunication or a formal denunciation of a doctrine

3. the person or thing so cursed

4. a strong curse; imprecation

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• anathemas
  plural
• anathemata
  plural

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

anathema anathemas

As somebody who was at the DOJ for 21 years, I find that to be anathema to how I thought about public service.

From Slate ● Jun. 9, 2026

But amongst MPs in the other place next door, and outside the Houses of Parliament, the idea of continuing to allow aristocrats seats by dint of birth is anathema to many.

From BBC ● Mar. 13, 2026

"The path to rebuilding the right can only happen with the broadest possible spirit of unity, without exclusion and without anathema," he writes.

From Barron's ● Dec. 17, 2025

Commercials were anathema to Hastings, but Netflix has now built an ad business.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 6, 2025

And the idea of remaining in a poor agrarian setting, in any capacity, was anathema to a child with such prodigious talents and cocky self-assurance.

From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson

As he pronounced anathemas on you and your kind, the smile peeked out beneath the sneer.

From Slate ● Dec. 16, 2011

The next year, the Patriarch and the Pope officially revoked the mutual anathemas that had been hurled at the start of the schism between East and West in 1054.

From Time Magazine Archive

She utters her prophecies and anathemas as if the blood of Cassandra were coursing through her veins.

From Time Magazine Archive

Theologians from both traditions eventually concluded that the 16th century anathemas were more a function of crossed wires than a denial that salvation is a no-strings-attached gift from God.

From Time Magazine Archive

But I'm not to be drowned, that's clear, till I've settled with that old rogue Pryse,' he says, with an emphasis and a look that are in themselves anathemas.

From The Making of William Edwards or The Story of the Bridge of Beauty by Mrs. G. Linnaeus Banks

Related Words

• bane
• pariah