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
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
At the same time, AIPAC, which Lang targeted, has become anathema in both parties as support for Israel has plummeted in recent years.
—Grace Gilson, Sun Sentinel, 7 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
Nor would a coalition of immigrants, renters and activists so devoted to a foreign policy position anathema to the national imperial agenda have been able to coalesce around someone who could, in theory, be president someday.
—Literary Hub, 2 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for anathema
New Atlas, 8 Jan. 2026
At the same time, AIPAC, which Lang targeted, has become anathema in both parties as support for Israel has plummeted in recent years.
—Grace Gilson, Sun Sentinel, 7 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
Nor would a coalition of immigrants, renters and activists so devoted to a foreign policy position anathema to the national imperial agenda have been able to coalesce around someone who could, in theory, be president someday.
—Literary Hub, 2 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for anathema
Recent Examples of Synonyms for anathema
Noun
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For Ukraine, the war has been a curse – a curse to survive and adapt long enough to spare Europe’s borders from Russia’s forces and absolve its allies from springing into greater action.—
Nick Paton Walsh,
CNN Money,
24 Feb. 2026
-
Indeed, various curses and slurs could be heard shouted from the audience at London's Royal Festival Hall, even during some segments broadcast to audiences in England and abroad.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
22 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Unlike the win in ‘80 that brought together a nation for an extended period in the face of foreign enemies, now those adversaries are our neighbors, or family members.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
22 Feb. 2026
-
His title was removed for being an enemy of Britain under the 1917 act, which was enacted in 1919, once the war was over.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
22 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Council Speaker Julie Menin’s legislative package is a response to both the incident, and to the broader trends of rising hate across the city.—
Joseph Potasnik,
New York Daily News,
26 Feb. 2026
-
Our world is filled with so much frustration and hate.—
Chris Murphy,
Vanity Fair,
26 Feb. 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
-
But in other parts of the city the presence of ICE was aggravating existing antipathy for local law enforcement.—
Ruby Cramer,
New Yorker,
23 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
-
Beyond needle phobia or the physical discomfort of injections, convenience is a key reason people may be interested in switching to the Wegovy pill.—
Sean Hashmi,
EverydayHealth.com,
16 Jan. 2026
-
The circumstances made the role ill-suited to Bennett, and everyone knew that Shawn was beset by phobias.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
12 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Anathema.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/anathema. Accessed 2 Mar. 2026.
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