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
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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
-
The family curse was alive and well.—
Jennifer Wolfgram,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Mar. 2026
-
Too much focus went on growing the club as a financial juggernaut and investing in the stadium, which went from being their savior to their curse.—
Joe Prince-Wright,
NBC news,
13 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
And yet, despite that, there had been the weight gain, just enough for the zipper on the Balenciaga to become her sworn enemy.—
Han Ong,
New Yorker,
15 Mar. 2026
-
Locust's radars can find enemy drones up to 7 miles away, according to John Garrity, who is in charge of the program at AeroVironment.—
Lesley Stahl,
CBS News,
15 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Shannon, executive director of programs and initiatives with Life After Hate, a national nonprofit focused on helping people exit violent- and hate-fueled ideologies, said research shows people often join violent extremist groups for the same reasons others join gangs.—
Natalie Eilbert,
jsonline.com,
19 Mar. 2026
-
As written and implemented, these laws place undue burden on proving individual culpability based on smoking-gun evidence of hate.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
16 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
-
Despite all these benefits, snakes are among humans’ top phobias.—
Jackie Flynn Mogensen,
Scientific American,
15 Mar. 2026
-
The idea stems from a very specific phobia.—
Nick Romano,
Entertainment Weekly,
12 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Anathema.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/anathema. Accessed 21 Mar. 2026.
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