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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in anathema
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of taboo
Ali Martin, Christian Science Monitor, 17 Apr. 2025
What had once been an absolutely off-limits, taboo offense was not just okay, but cool.
—Sam Reed, Glamour, 15 Apr. 2025
Alex Gangitano, The Hill, 21 Apr. 2025
But Syria’s longstanding taboo against discussing sectarian identity now seemed to be fading every day.
—Nanna Heitmann, New York Times, 1 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for taboo
Adjective
So even certain kinds of trade become taboo and controversial, and some impossible.
—Ali Martin, Christian Science Monitor, 17 Apr. 2025
What had once been an absolutely off-limits, taboo offense was not just okay, but cool.
—Sam Reed, Glamour, 15 Apr. 2025
Noun
The geopolitical power that the United States wields makes the idea of an American pope taboo, according The Associated Press.
—Alex Gangitano, The Hill, 21 Apr. 2025
But Syria’s longstanding taboo against discussing sectarian identity now seemed to be fading every day.
—Nanna Heitmann, New York Times, 1 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for taboo
Recent Examples of Synonyms for taboo
Adjective
-
Her investigation reveals forbidden rituals and buried wartime secrets connected to a sealed cave, with supernatural forces closing in around her.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
15 May 2025
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Here’s the synopsis: The story of Dorrigo Evans, an army surgeon whose short but forbidden affair with his uncle's wife sustains and haunts him through his darkest days in a Thai-Burmese prisoner of war camp in WWII.—
Paul Tassi,
Forbes.com,
17 Apr. 2025
Noun
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The broad prohibition also seems to work against Trump’s stated goal of bringing more jobs to America.—
Brandon Kochkodin,
Forbes.com,
20 May 2025
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Some suffragists argued that immigrants opposed suffrage for women and prohibition, and therefore immigrant voting posed a threat to their agenda.—
Time,
Time,
19 May 2025
Noun
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Yet that very framing is anathema to the Chinese side—and likely to cause Beijing to disengage altogether.—
Zongyuan Zoe Liu,
Foreign Affairs,
29 Apr. 2025
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Polis also tried to expand the talks to include some of his priorities that were anathema to labor.—
Seth Klamann,
Denver Post,
6 May 2025
Adjective
-
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
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For example, Customs and Border Protection in the United States maintains a list of prohibited and restricted items for anyone entering the US and links to other departments if permits are required.—
Erica Kasper,
WIRED,
21 Aug. 2024
Noun
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In Hollywood, naked navels were a no-no and specifically outlawed by the censorious Hays Code that policed the studios until 1968.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
14 May 2025
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That’s a no-no with trust account money, and Hernandez got hit with an emergency suspension on April 25.—
David J. Neal,
Miami Herald,
13 May 2025
Noun
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Jamal Murray goes supernova, Nikola Jokic trails in MVP race and the All-Star Weekend abomination Renck: Nuggets’ selfess Aaron Gordon navigates adversity with perspective, support of teammates Keeler: Nuggets’ Christian Braun wants to start.—
Bennett Durando,
The Denver Post,
19 Feb. 2025
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The series was an abomination of epic scale for Miami, but one that maybe shouldn’t have shocked following a 37-45 regular season and 10th playoff seed that worked up in the play-in to No. 8.—
Greg Cote,
Miami Herald,
29 Apr. 2025
Noun
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The de facto trade embargo between the world’s two largest economies had produced domestic and global economic pressure that appeared on the brink of calamity.—
Phil Mattingly,
CNN Money,
12 May 2025
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By more than doubling the cost of each other’s goods, the two nations were effectively initiating embargoes against each other, says Brett House, an economics professor at Columbia Business School.—
Laurent Belsie,
Christian Science Monitor,
12 May 2025
Noun
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These opposition movements shared one common goal: exposing the fallacies of the communist perversion of truth.—
Andrew Nagorski,
Foreign Affairs,
30 Nov. 2012
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Remember, 2,800 men participated in this inhumane perversion.—
Wendy Murphy,
Boston Herald,
27 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Taboo.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/taboo. Accessed 25 May. 2025.
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