Meaning & use
anathema
Last updated
Something or someone intensely disliked or shunned, often for going against one's principles.
See it in a sentence
Cheating on an exam was anathema to her strict sense of honesty.
Compromise was anathema to the stubborn negotiator.
A note on using this word
Almost always used with 'to' (as in 'anathema to') rather than as a plural noun; it originally referred to a formal religious curse or ban.
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