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
Anna Marie De La Fuente, Variety, 14 May 2026
Fragmented treatment infrastructure More broadly, the nation’s treatment infrastructure for excessive alcohol consumption remains fragmented, medications remain underutilized, and harm-reduction strategies long embraced by other countries remain taboo.
—Lev Facher, STAT, 12 May 2026
Ut Community Press, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 June 2026
The taboo is calling into question what a society instills in its people—all of its people—without their even noticing.
—Nina Mesfin, New Yorker, 7 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for taboo
Adjective
The project reflects a strong auteur and LGBTQ+ aligned slate touching on taboo subjects.
—Anna Marie De La Fuente, Variety, 14 May 2026
Fragmented treatment infrastructure More broadly, the nation’s treatment infrastructure for excessive alcohol consumption remains fragmented, medications remain underutilized, and harm-reduction strategies long embraced by other countries remain taboo.
—Lev Facher, STAT, 12 May 2026
Noun
Come gather in community as participants share snacks and tea and break the stigma that death is a taboo topic.
—Ut Community Press, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 June 2026
The taboo is calling into question what a society instills in its people—all of its people—without their even noticing.
—Nina Mesfin, New Yorker, 7 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for taboo
Recent Examples of Synonyms for taboo
Adjective
-
Obsession, a Toronto premiere that has since turned into one of the year’s unlikeliest box-office successes with rare, late-run weekend gains, traces how forbidden desire spirals into supernatural terror.—
Patrick Brzeski,
HollywoodReporter,
4 June 2026
-
In a discussion that Padilla started about a secret Groundlings show for gross-out comedy, Palmer summoned the ancient name of one of the forbidden Millennial texts.—
Joe Reid,
Vulture,
29 May 2026
Noun
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More grounded than Scarface and tenfold beyond The Bonfire of the Vanities (1990), the film focuses on Eliot Ness' attempt to bring down Al Capone during the 1930s prohibition.—
Eric Farwell,
Entertainment Weekly,
12 June 2026
-
But our children deserve more than prohibition alone.—
Belonging Forum,
Forbes.com,
12 June 2026
Noun
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Playing to the White House was clearly anathema for Warsh.—
Eva Roytburg,
Fortune,
17 June 2026
-
The idea of farming out one of your iconic brands to a third-party producer may seem anathema to some, but under the terms of the BBC’s operating agreement, known as its royal charter, the corporation has a duty to put in-house shows out to the market.—
Jake Kanter,
Deadline,
11 June 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
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Cheap All-Weather Wicker Peterman points to cheap all-weather wicker patio furniture as a major no-no in her books.—
Cori Sears,
The Spruce,
13 June 2026
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Leaving a bathing suit in the trunk of a hot car or hanging it in direct sunlight is also a no-no because high temperatures and ultraviolet rays can fade and break down the fibers.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
12 June 2026
Noun
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Qatar 2022 was an abomination in so many ways, a World Cup staged in a nation roughly the size of Connecticut, with an appalling human rights record, but the football was frequently thrilling.—
Oliver Kay,
New York Times,
11 June 2026
-
Yes, the first season of Big Brother was an abomination.—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
4 June 2026
Noun
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Slovenia’s new conservative government has lifted an entry ban on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, scrapped restrictions on settlement imports and ended an arms embargo, signaling a sharp reset in relations with Israel.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
11 June 2026
-
The embargo caused an immediate 50 percent loss in exports.—
Michelle Williams,
Forbes.com,
11 June 2026
Noun
-
More broadly, this same chain of logic turns the Voting Rights Act into a zombie law, a perversion of its intended purpose that now mostly protects white Americans from any attempts to break their disproportionate control of voting machinery.—
Vann R. Newkirk II,
The Atlantic,
2 May 2026
-
The Fair Districts law is a partisan perversion walking around in a phony non-partisan trenchcoat.—
Letters to the Editor,
The Orlando Sentinel,
28 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Taboo.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/taboo. Accessed 19 Jun. 2026.
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