variants
also tabu
as in forbidden
that may not be permitted
asking a guest how much money he or she makes is strictly taboo because it's a rude question to ask a stranger
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
variants
also tabu
1
as in prohibition
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
2
as in anathema
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of taboo
Katie Akin, Southern Living, 7 Apr. 2026
Her work was rooted in a belief that erotic art was not taboo — but deeply human.
—Zachary Bynum, CBS News, 6 Apr. 2026
Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 31 Mar. 2026
In a single sentence, his future spouse is reduced to a taboo concept.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 31 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for taboo
Adjective
Here, the idea of pleather is taboo and cowboy hats are an everyday accessory.
—Katie Akin, Southern Living, 7 Apr. 2026
Her work was rooted in a belief that erotic art was not taboo — but deeply human.
—Zachary Bynum, CBS News, 6 Apr. 2026
Noun
Religion — and, specifically, Christianity — is not a taboo topic in an NBA locker room.
—Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 31 Mar. 2026
In a single sentence, his future spouse is reduced to a taboo concept.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 31 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for taboo
Recent Examples of Synonyms for taboo
Adjective
-
Less than an hour’s drive from the holiday markets, on the way to Salla and its forbidden frontier, hundreds of Finnish soldiers are training to repel any future Russian invasion.—
Liam Denning,
Bloomberg,
12 Mar. 2026
-
Women, whether secular or religious, remain forbidden to read, write or tell stories.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The White House did not immediately respond to a question about whether the prohibition spans both offensive and defensive strikes.—
Melanie Lidman,
Chicago Tribune,
17 Apr. 2026
-
Some educators are expanding technology prohibitions even further by dropping laptops from their classrooms, too.—
Melanie Asmar,
Denver Post,
16 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
As with so many Zionophobes, Jewish self-defense is anathema for Caggiano.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
11 Apr. 2026
-
But the uncertainty surrounding the club (head coach Gareth Taylor wasn’t hired until three weeks before the season started, while the club had lost Smith and club captain Taylor Hinds to Arsenal) was anathema to someone so conscientious.—
Megan Feringa,
New York Times,
1 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
There is, however, room for questions about where the line between prohibited and acceptable political involvement will fall in practice.—
BrieAnna J. Frank,
USA Today,
11 July 2025
-
The list of prohibited and restricted items, as found on the CBP website, includes alcohol, biological materials, firearms, food and produce such as fruits and vegetables, soil, wildlife, fish, and gold, among other items.—
Dan Perry,
Newsweek,
28 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
Araiza, McKnight and Russell each took an inning to close out the no-no.—
Kirk Kenney,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
8 Apr. 2026
-
Another no-no — especially after some time has passed — is just sending a request for the money, sans context, on Venmo.—
Ryan Ermey,
CNBC,
4 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
While people sometimes express this view in jest, others believe the fake environment borders on a cultural abomination.—
Adam Kadlac,
The Conversation,
27 Mar. 2026
-
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
Noun
-
The companies would go on to reach new heights in the 1970s when Arab oil embargoes drove crude prices up to record levels.—
Alex Kuffner,
USA Today,
15 Apr. 2026
-
With the exception of a Russian oil tanker that was allowed to dock in Cuba earlier this month, Washington has maintained a de-facto fuel embargo on the country, exacerbating the extreme energy shortages that bedevil the Cuban population on a daily basis.—
Daniel DePetris,
Chicago Tribune,
14 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
But there’s more to it than gleeful perversions of genre.—
Carolina A. Miranda,
The Atlantic,
5 Mar. 2026
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This garish cavalcade of perversions, which just premiered at the Berlin Film Festival, should have been shocking and transgressive; the pieces are certainly there.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
15 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Taboo.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/taboo. Accessed 21 Apr. 2026.
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