anathematize
Americanverb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of anathematize
1560–70; (< Middle French ) < Late Latin anathematizāre to put under the ban, curse, detest < Greek anathematízein to bind by a curse, make accursed, equivalent to anathemat- (stem of anáthema ) + -izein -ize
Explanation
The verb anathematize means to completely condemn, something you would do to a mortal enemy or a truly horrible person. If you've decided that your math teacher is just plain evil, you might anathematize him, or curse his name. The word anathematize comes from anathema, which means something you really hate. When you anathematize someone, you declare your hatred for that person. The root word is the Greek anathematizein, which means "to denote something to be evil."
Vocabulary lists containing anathematize
John Leonard on Doris Lessing's "Time Bites" and more
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Our Mutual Friend
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Nicholas Nickleby
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
See Examples For:
It is to Mr. Hale’s great credit that he refuses to anathematize the prodigal children in his book.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 12, 2026
Should we anathematize communication with half the population?
From Washington Post ● Dec. 31, 2020
This became another reason to anathematize Golden Books, which were for decades shunned by library buyers.
From Slate ● Jan. 12, 2017
How the call-man, with his violin under his chin, stopped playing to vociferate his orders, or anathematize some bewildered pair!
From Bressant by Hawthorne, Julian
Next we anathematize Sabellius, for we confess the eternity and reality of the Son and the Holy Spirit.
From The Arian Controversy by Gwatkin, Henry Melvill
Bayless anathematized James as a diva who was tough when trouncing inferior competition but “soft” when the lights were brightest.
From The New Yorker ● Jun. 18, 2018
BuzzFeed was so anathematized that by presser’s end, fellow journalists were picking up their lunch trays and moving to the other side of the cafeteria.
From Slate ● Jan. 12, 2017
Artur Rodzinski, conductor of the New York Philharmonic, anathematized jazz.
From Time Magazine Archive
She told of a handsome Maltese-Angora cat which was anathematized by Calvin Coolidge who, disliking fancy breeds, said: "Anyone can see that his name is Mud."
From Time Magazine Archive
He ridiculed as harmless archæological curiosities those who wished mankind to be kept in perpetual leading-strings, and who anathematized 1789, liberty of conscience, free speech, and a free tribune.
From Victor Hugo: His Life and Works by Smith, G. Barnett
In some ways, the grotesqueries of his persona, rather than anathematizing him to voters, only enhanced his appeal among those wishing for something different.
From Slate ● Jan. 24, 2017
In Constantinople the Most Holy Patriarch Basil of the Greek Orthodox Church was incensed, last week, to the point of anathematizing the new Albanian Synod.
From Time Magazine Archive
Would it be out of order to suggest a cursory glance at past history, sacred and secular, before completely anathematizing Heflin's stand?
From Time Magazine Archive
The old cannot be maintained without anathematizing the new; the new cannot be established without displacing the old.
From A Grammar of Freethought by Cohen, Chapman
So much was admitted that it had been read there, and that Ibas, after anathematizing Nestorius, had been received by the Council.
From The Church of England cleared from the charge of Schism Upon Testimonies of Councils and Fathers of the first six centuries by Allies, T. W. (Thomas William)
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.
