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
Relevance
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
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of taboo
Ut Community Press, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Aug. 2025
For women, talking about money has been long considered taboo.
—Melissa Houston, Forbes.com, 16 Aug. 2025
Mekishana Pierre, EW.com, 27 Aug. 2025
Engaging with the question of Palestine is taboo at my school.
—Sahar Mustafah
august 27, Literary Hub, 27 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for taboo
Adjective
The goal is to create an inviting, safe space to share the heartfelt experience of diving into a taboo topic which unites everyone.
—Ut Community Press, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Aug. 2025
For women, talking about money has been long considered taboo.
—Melissa Houston, Forbes.com, 16 Aug. 2025
Noun
Throughout its iterations, Degrassi made a name for itself for being a fearless teen drama that tackled taboo topics like teen pregnancy, drug use, domestic abuse, and mental health.
—Mekishana Pierre, EW.com, 27 Aug. 2025
Engaging with the question of Palestine is taboo at my school.
—Sahar Mustafah
august 27, Literary Hub, 27 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for taboo
Recent Examples of Synonyms for taboo
Adjective
-
Describing the damping precisely meant accidentally allowing forbidden precision in position or momentum.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
16 Aug. 2025
-
Anthropic has introduced weekly rate limits for its Claude chatbot focused on curbing excessive—and forbidden—usage of Claude Code.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
29 July 2025
Noun
-
Aleks’s grandfather lived in the Soviet Union at a time when a pseudo-prohibition was in place.—
Don Tse,
Forbes.com,
6 Sep. 2025
-
Ferguson, one of two Republican commissioners on the FTC at the time, voted against the rule, arguing that the FTC lacked the authority to issue a nationwide prohibition on a centuries-old business practice.—
Andrea Hsu,
NPR,
5 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Cheating in any way, at anything, was anathema to him.—
Larry David,
New Yorker,
28 Aug. 2025
-
In these ways, stablecoins can make financial systems more volatile, and of diminished quality, and higher volatility, unless they are brought under the wing of regulators (which is anathema to most in the crypto world) or adopted by the large, incumbent financial institutions.—
Mike O'Sullivan,
Forbes.com,
15 Aug. 2025
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
-
Bleaching cleaning products, abrasive powders, and scouring pads are a no-no that ruin countertops.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
4 Sep. 2025
-
So the red bucket and cleaning pads in the ware washing area handwash sink counts as a no-no.—
David J. Neal
Updated August 22,
Miami Herald,
22 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Of course, there was the Luka Doncic abomination that caused a collective jaw drop among the entire basketball world.—
Mat Issa,
Forbes.com,
3 Sep. 2025
-
This wasteful Everglades abomination surely is one of our worst.—
Elise Bennett,
The Orlando Sentinel,
3 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Congress decided to make daylight saving time permanent for two years from 1973 to 1975, extending the hours of daily sunlight year-round to conserve energy during the oil embargo crisis.—
Haadiza Ogwude,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
4 Sep. 2025
-
Slovenia became the first European country to declare a total arms embargo on Israel.—
Jack Sheehan
September 4,
Literary Hub,
4 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
With respect to gender roles, for instance, the aggressive zombies incarnate a warped and rotted form of traditional masculinity, a perversion of the warrior ideal.—
Katy Waldman,
New Yorker,
9 Aug. 2025
-
Spaces that seem most interested in the permissiveness of perversion.—
Hazlitt,
Hazlitt,
25 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Taboo.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/taboo. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share