Anathema
noun /əˈnæθɪmə/ — Something vehemently detested — or formally cursed.
Definition
Something or someone greatly detested or loathed; a formal curse by a pope or council of the Church, excommunicating a person or denouncing a doctrine.
Beyond the definition
Anathema started as a technical religious term — the formal excommunication, the casting out. It carries that full weight into ordinary use: to call something anathema is to reject it not merely personally but with the force of a complete condemnation. Some people use it loosely (I hate beetroot); others use it correctly (compromise is anathema to a purist).
Origin & history
From Greek anathema 'a thing devoted to evil, a curse' — from ana 'up' + tithenai 'to place'. In early Christian use it meant something offered up to God; in later use, something offered to destruction.
Example sentences
Illustrative sentences for learning, not verified community posts or sourced quotations.
The very idea of lying was anathema to her — she'd been raised in a house where honesty was its own religion.
Mediocrity is anathema to a perfectionist, and perfection is anathema to anyone trying to finish.
In the 16th century, printing the Bible in English was anathema — then it became mandatory.
Synonyms
abhorrence, bane, curse, damnation, taboo
Antonyms
blessing, praise, approval
Related words
Anathema vs abomination
Anathema implies an intense, formal aversion or public rejection of a specific idea or practice. Abomination describes a more visceral, sickening reaction to something considered morally abhorrent.
Word in the Wild
See how this word appears in life, language and stories.
Illustrative sentences and imagined stories for learning — not verified sightings, interviews, or sourced quotations.
Fictional scene
Excluded person looking down
Two adults stand in a room; one points while the other is visibly excluded, looking down at the ground.
The excluded person, being cast out from the group’s decision-making, feels like an anathema. This reflects the feeling of being detested or loathed, as if one has been formally cursed or separated from the community by an act of power.
Image credit: Wordspun · AI-generated conceptual illustration