anathema

noun

anath·e·ma ə-ˈna-thə-mə How to pronounce anathema (audio)

: someone or something intensely disliked or loathed

—usually used as a predicate nominative

… this notion was anathema to most of his countrymen.

Stephen Jay Gould

: one that is cursed by ecclesiastical authority

: a ban or curse solemnly pronounced by ecclesiastical authority and accompanied by excommunication

: the denunciation of something as accursed

: a vigorous denunciation : curse

Did you know?

Word History of Anathema

The Greek root of anathema originally meant simply “a thing devoted” or “an offering,” and in the Old Testament it could refer to either revered objects or objects representing destruction brought about in the name of the Lord, such as the weapons of an enemy. Since the enemy’s objects therefore became symbols of what was reviled or unholy, the neutral meaning of “a thing devoted” became “a thing devoted to evil” or “curse.”

In Latin, it could refer to both an excommunication and the person who has been excommunicated.

In the early Church, anathema was used interchangeably with excommunication and to refer to unrepentant heretics. It then came to mean the severest form of excommunication in official church writings. When the authority of Rome was split in the Great Schism between Eastern and Western churches in 1054, an anathema was issued by Rome against the Eastern Patriarch who then issued another one against the cardinal who delivered it.

Example Sentences

Maugham was not only prolific but also a best-seller, though snobs dismissed his work as middlebrow (a category that few people worry about in our day but that once was anathema).

Edmund White, New York Review of Books, 12 Feb. 2009 While everything pointed to an immense flood, Bretz knew such a notion would be anathema to his fellow geologists. In part that was because the quantity of water needed for such a flood would exceed the flow of all the world's modern rivers combined.

Richard Lovett, New Scientist, 21-27 Apr. 2007 Big Jeff was devoted to Purcell. He haunted his room and patiently endured his abuse just to sit in the corner and watch him shave or do push-ups or dress for dinner, and listen to him pronounce his opinions and anathemas.

Tobias Wolff, Old School, 2003 For all the artistic wonders it has preserved, the Holy Mountain is not a museum, and the idea of playing host to sightseers is anathema to the monks. Male visitors of all faiths are welcome, but they come as pilgrims, not tourists, and only 110 "residence permits" are issued each day by patristic officials in Ouranoupolis.

Nicholas Basbanes, Smithsonian, August 1999 a politician who is anathema to conservatives ideas that are an anathema to me See More

Recent Examples on the Web That's anathema to educators who are all-in on phonics.

Lelah Byron And Aimee Galaszewski, Journal Sentinel, 8 Sep. 2022 Tax increases, after all, are anathema to most Alabama politicians.

Kalena Thomhave, The New Republic, 23 Aug. 2022 That kind of debacle is anathema to Wray, according to people who know him.

Anchorage Daily News, 20 Aug. 2022 That kind of debacle is anathema to Wray, according to people who know him.

BostonGlobe.com, 20 Aug. 2022 This behavior is anathema to a university’s mission and deeply damaging to our nation.

Michael R. Bloomberg, WSJ, 15 Aug. 2022 It’s a Florentine-South American mash-up anathema to traditional Tuscan dining, but one that encapsulates the city’s growing culinary diversity.

Jackie Cooperman, Bon Appétit, 27 July 2022 The notion of allowing an internal squabble to spill into the unclassified realm was anathema.

Patrick Radden Keefe, The New Yorker, 6 June 2022 Managers have penalized staff for wearing union pins and T-shirts, posted flyers explaining why unions are anathema to Starbucks culture, and fired outspoken baristas.

E. Tammy Kim, The New Yorker, 2 Aug. 2022 See More

单词	anathema
释义	anathema noun anath·e·ma ə-ˈna-thə-mə 1 a : someone or something intensely disliked or loathed —usually used as a predicate nominative … this notion was anathema to most of his countrymen. Stephen Jay Gould b : one that is cursed by ecclesiastical authority 2 a : a ban or curse solemnly pronounced by ecclesiastical authority and accompanied by excommunication b : the denunciation of something as accursed c : a vigorous denunciation : curse Did you know? Word History of Anathema The Greek root of anathema originally meant simply “a thing devoted” or “an offering,” and in the Old Testament it could refer to either revered objects or objects representing destruction brought about in the name of the Lord, such as the weapons of an enemy. Since the enemy’s objects therefore became symbols of what was reviled or unholy, the neutral meaning of “a thing devoted” became “a thing devoted to evil” or “curse.” In Latin, it could refer to both an excommunication and the person who has been excommunicated. In the early Church, anathema was used interchangeably with excommunication and to refer to unrepentant heretics. It then came to mean the severest form of excommunication in official church writings. When the authority of Rome was split in the Great Schism between Eastern and Western churches in 1054, an anathema was issued by Rome against the Eastern Patriarch who then issued another one against the cardinal who delivered it. Synonyms ban curse execration imprecation malediction malison winze [Scottish] See all Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences Maugham was not only prolific but also a best-seller, though snobs dismissed his work as middlebrow (a category that few people worry about in our day but that once was anathema). Edmund White, New York Review of Books, 12 Feb. 2009 While everything pointed to an immense flood, Bretz knew such a notion would be anathema to his fellow geologists. In part that was because the quantity of water needed for such a flood would exceed the flow of all the world's modern rivers combined. Richard Lovett, New Scientist, 21-27 Apr. 2007 Big Jeff was devoted to Purcell. He haunted his room and patiently endured his abuse just to sit in the corner and watch him shave or do push-ups or dress for dinner, and listen to him pronounce his opinions and anathemas. Tobias Wolff, Old School, 2003 For all the artistic wonders it has preserved, the Holy Mountain is not a museum, and the idea of playing host to sightseers is anathema to the monks. Male visitors of all faiths are welcome, but they come as pilgrims, not tourists, and only 110 "residence permits" are issued each day by patristic officials in Ouranoupolis. Nicholas Basbanes, Smithsonian, August 1999 a politician who is anathema to conservatives ideas that are an anathema to me See More Recent Examples on the Web That's anathema to educators who are all-in on phonics. Lelah Byron And Aimee Galaszewski, Journal Sentinel, 8 Sep. 2022 Tax increases, after all, are anathema to most Alabama politicians. Kalena Thomhave, The New Republic, 23 Aug. 2022 That kind of debacle is anathema to Wray, according to people who know him. Anchorage Daily News, 20 Aug. 2022 That kind of debacle is anathema to Wray, according to people who know him. BostonGlobe.com, 20 Aug. 2022 This behavior is anathema to a university’s mission and deeply damaging to our nation. Michael R. Bloomberg, WSJ, 15 Aug. 2022 It’s a Florentine-South American mash-up anathema to traditional Tuscan dining, but one that encapsulates the city’s growing culinary diversity. Jackie Cooperman, Bon Appétit, 27 July 2022 The notion of allowing an internal squabble to spill into the unclassified realm was anathema. Patrick Radden Keefe, The New Yorker, 6 June 2022 Managers have penalized staff for wearing union pins and T-shirts, posted flyers explaining why unions are anathema to Starbucks culture, and fired outspoken baristas. E. Tammy Kim, The New Yorker, 2 Aug. 2022 See More Word History Etymology Late Latin anathemat-, anathema, from Greek, thing devoted to evil, curse, from anatithenai to set up, dedicate, from ana- + tithenai to place, set — more at do First Known Use 1582, in the meaning defined at sense 1b anathema noun 1 as in curse a prayer that harm will come to someone uttered an anathema before driving the would-be robber from the his shop Synonyms & Similar Words Relevance curse condemnation malediction ban malison excommunication censure damnation denunciation imprecation execration voodoo spell winze jinx pox whammy hoodoo mojo hex Antonyms & Near Antonyms blessing benediction benison endorsement citation indorsement commendation See More 2 as in enemy something or someone that is hated the use of animals in the testing of cosmetics is anathema to animal-rights activists Synonyms & Similar Words enemy hate abomination antipathy abhorrence bête noire detestation aversion phobia adversary execration bugbear bugaboo nuisance horror bogey dread bogy grievance hang-up annoyance peeve bogie hassle Antonyms & Near Antonyms love beloved darling dear joy preference pleasure delight enjoyment favorite honey sweetheart treasure like felicity See More
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anathema

noun

Did you know?

Synonyms

Example Sentences

Word History

noun