anathemas

noun

plural of anathema
1
as in curses
a prayer that harm will come to someone uttered an anathema before driving the would-be robber from the his shop

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in enemies
something or someone that is hated the use of animals in the testing of cosmetics is anathema to animal-rights activists

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for anathemas
  1. curses
  2. enemies
  3. abominations
  4. adversaries
  5. phobias
  6. hates
Noun
  • In other cases Hoodoo was used to counter the threat of curses, as in the practice of suspending bottles from a tree to trap any malevolent spirits or witches traveling in spirit form.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 14 Aug. 2026
  • The cumulative impression of Alice that the book leaves is of someone moving serenely through life, meeting fond blessings and awful curses both with the same calm equanimity.
    — Ian Penman, Harpers Magazine, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of curses
Noun
  • Weekly Newsletter The Legend of Zelda franchise also hints at secret alliances between Link and several of his enemies in Hyrule.
    — Angelica Frey, JSTOR Daily, 10 Sep. 2026
  • Logan wields unbreakable, atomically sharp adamantium claws, yet enemies feel like bloated punching bags that require mindless button-mashing to stagger.
    — Gabriel Zamora, PC Magazine, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of enemies
Noun
  • It a thematic fit, and after nearly 200 episodes, there’s no doubting this team’s ability to deliver fresh, new abominations.
    — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 17 Aug. 2026
  • As the representative for the armed wing of a human empire, you're tasked with subduing these Lovecraftian abominations and securing a foothold for humanity on alien worlds.
    — Alan Bradley, Space.com, 5 Jan. 2026
Definition of abominations
Noun
  • Bessent has been aggressive in using his public profile to pursue the administration's political adversaries.
    — Matt Peterson,Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 9 Sep. 2026
  • Reducing troop levels could signal weakness to Iran and adversaries like Russia and China.
    — Brittney Melton, NPR, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of adversaries
Noun
  • Cage plays Roy, a gifted con artist with obsessive-compulsive disorder whose tics, phobias and elaborate rituals have turned his immaculate home into a fortress against the world.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Turns out that the star had quite the number of phobias to conquer.
    — Michelle Lee, PEOPLE, 16 July 2026
Definition of phobias
Noun
  • On the April 14 episode of the Bookmarked by Reese's Book Club podcast, the bestselling author, whose debut adult romantasy novel Starside hit shelves on March 31, spoke with journalist Danielle Robay about all things writing — including her romance genre loves and hates.
    — Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 20 Apr. 2026
Definition of hates
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

anathema
anathemas
anathematize
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Anathemas.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/anathemas. Accessed 12 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of hobnob

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
funny guinea pig in glasses reading a book
Challenging Words You Should Know Vol 2 Words to the wise
See All