anathema
Americannoun
plural
anathemas-
a person or thing detested or loathed.
That subject is anathema to him.
-
a person or thing accursed or consigned to damnation or destruction.
-
a formal ecclesiastical curse involving excommunication.
-
any imprecation of divine punishment.
-
a curse; execration.
noun
-
a detested person or thing
he is anathema to me
-
a formal ecclesiastical curse of excommunication or a formal denunciation of a doctrine
-
the person or thing so cursed
-
a strong curse; imprecation
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.
"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
The casual word “untitled” was pretty common in art, but it possesses an air of disinterest that seems anathema in the vicinity of a Therrien.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 25, 2025
“Self-consciousness and judgment—whether from yourself or other people—are anathema to flow, as is any form of distraction,” she writes.
From Salon • Nov. 18, 2025
He had a notoriously high failure rate, which of course made him the anathema of Carter High School.
From "Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, And A Dream" by H.G. Bissinger
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.
