1
as in curse
a prayer that harm will come to someone
uttered an anathema before driving the would-be robber from the his shop
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in enemy
something or someone that is hated
the use of animals in the testing of cosmetics is anathema to animal-rights activists
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of anathema
This index is the first to go in a tough tape created by a pernicious bond market; higher rates are a small-cap anathema.
—
Jim Cramer, CNBC, 25 Jan. 2026
The idea of altering Ferrari’s iconography has always been anathema–until now.
—Viju Mathew, Robb Report, 20 Jan. 2026
For people like myself who just love to drive, the fact that the most popular vehicles being sold are all focused on competence and simplicity of control are anathema.
—New Atlas, 8 Jan. 2026
Maduro is an authoritarian and a blight to the Venezuelan people, certainly, but this administration is hardly one that finds all autocrats anathema.
—Idrees Kahloon, The Atlantic, 3 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for anathema
Jim Cramer, CNBC, 25 Jan. 2026
The idea of altering Ferrari’s iconography has always been anathema–until now.
—Viju Mathew, Robb Report, 20 Jan. 2026
For people like myself who just love to drive, the fact that the most popular vehicles being sold are all focused on competence and simplicity of control are anathema.
—New Atlas, 8 Jan. 2026
Maduro is an authoritarian and a blight to the Venezuelan people, certainly, but this administration is hardly one that finds all autocrats anathema.
—Idrees Kahloon, The Atlantic, 3 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for anathema
Recent Examples of Synonyms for anathema
Noun
-
At the beginning of her music career, Jordan was (rightfully) hailed as a prodigy—a blessing and a curse.—
Grace Robins-Somerville,
Pitchfork,
30 Mar. 2026
-
Meeting Rachel’s parents and getting that backstory leads her into discovering this family curse.—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
27 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Person after person portrayed Democrats as the enemy trying to drive a wedge between conservatives in an election year, where Republicans want to keep control of Congress and win races up and down the ballot.—
Rachel Royster,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
29 Mar. 2026
-
Swalwell was among those named by Patel, who has said that his critics are mischaracterizing the appendix by calling it an enemies list.—
Perry Stein The Washington Post,
Arkansas Online,
29 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Esmeralda Upton, authorities said, spewed hate and assaulted the women in the parking lot of a Plano restaurant.—
Marvin Hurst,
CBS News,
26 Mar. 2026
-
New Yorkers deserve solutions that meaningfully address hate violence — not political theater and half-measures.—
Audrey Sasson,
New York Daily News,
26 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Yes, the opening animation was an abomination, but what followed was almost — almost — enough to make up for it.—
Rebecca Alter,
Vulture,
7 Feb. 2026
-
Orthodox Jews viewed the pop-up novelty with its mixed troupes as an abomination, but young female actors and singers embraced the emancipatory promise of the stage.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
22 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Fanning the flames of the drama was the mutual antipathy between the couples.—
Natasha O'Neill,
Vanity Fair,
26 Jan. 2026
-
The storyline has been that Apple can’t shoot straight; the antipathy of the Apple-using/hating commentators runs so deep that the critics dredged up the canard that Apple’s done nothing since former CEO Steve Jobs died.—
Jim Cramer,
CNBC,
25 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
These findings echo a broader pattern political scientists call affective polarization: the replacement of disagreement with abhorrence.—
Manvir Singh,
New Yorker,
27 Oct. 2025
-
When human decency and basic civility fall victim to partisanship and ideology, and abhorrence of violence becomes tempered by political aims, monstrosities and tyrannies become possible.—
Michael Bloomberg,
Twin Cities,
24 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
How Nelson is reformulated from one who feels desire to one who feels detestation (as well as shame for having desired) is the remarkable achievement of both the story and the storyteller and the system that requires it.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 Feb. 2026
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Between the lines: Many undecideds are painfully trying to balance their sense of obligation with their detestation for Trump, as USA Today first detailed on Thursday.—
Erin Doherty,
Axios,
14 Dec. 2024
Noun
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This, Wright imagined, was one way Proxi might display its analysis of players’ minds, an aerial map of loves, phobias, triumphs, losses, pets, and near misses plus all the associations connecting them.—
Eric Boodman,
Vulture,
25 Mar. 2026
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In Atlanta, some people living with SAD, as well as social phobia or even simple shyness, are facing their fears in a novel way.—
Hunter Boyce,
AJC.com,
24 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Anathema.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/anathema. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.
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