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
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Recent Examples of taboo
Amy McAuliffe, The Conversation, 17 Mar. 2026
The stress of taboo tics extends beyond the individual.
—Rena Zito, Fortune, 26 Feb. 2026
Alexandra Hildreth, Vogue, 26 Mar. 2026
Lebanon's government has broken a longstanding taboo by proposing direct talks with Israel.
—ABC News, 26 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for taboo
Adjective
But the issue is no longer taboo.
—Amy McAuliffe, The Conversation, 17 Mar. 2026
The stress of taboo tics extends beyond the individual.
—Rena Zito, Fortune, 26 Feb. 2026
Noun
However, there was once a time where outfit repeating as an industry peer was a little more taboo.
—Alexandra Hildreth, Vogue, 26 Mar. 2026
Lebanon's government has broken a longstanding taboo by proposing direct talks with Israel.
—ABC News, 26 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
-
From the prohibition against representation that binds the globe in images.—
Timmy Straw,
The New York Review of Books,
4 Apr. 2026
-
If the goal is truly to protect consumers, the solution does not lie in reducing the visibility of the legal market through federal prohibitions, but rather in avoiding excessive intervention.—
Cláudia Nunes,
The Orlando Sentinel,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
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
-
Why is school choice anathema to democrats?—
Chris Roemer,
Baltimore Sun,
26 Mar. 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
-
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
-
Much like in the fashion world, animal patterns such as cheetah and leopard print are even making a comeback in bolder spaces (although high-contrast black and white is still a no-no, even in zebra prints).—
Cori Sears,
The Spruce,
3 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
-
That decade started with the 1973 oil embargo by Arab countries who were members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, or OPEC, and ended with the 1979 Iranian Revolution, which many attribute to helping end Jimmy Carter's presidency.—
Phillip M. Bailey,
USA Today,
4 Apr. 2026
-
President Richard Nixon proposed a national speed limit of 55 miles per hour following the Arab oil embargo of 1973.—
Matt Peterson,
CNBC,
1 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
But there’s more to it than gleeful perversions of genre.—
Carolina A. Miranda,
The Atlantic,
5 Mar. 2026
-
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 11 Apr. 2026.
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