Synonyms for anathema
Most common
curse condemnation proscription denunciation antipathy bête noire
Synonyms by meaning
Noun
1. Curse — A ban or curse pronounced with religious solemnity by ecclesiastical authority, often accompanied by…
curse, condemnation, proscription, denunciation, execration, malediction, imprecation, fulmination, censure, ban dated
2. Antipathy — something which is vehemently disliked by somebody
Other
Definitions
- n. 1
A ban or curse pronounced with religious solemnity by ecclesiastical authority, often accompanied by excommunication; something denounced as accursed.
- n. 2
Something which is vehemently disliked by somebody.
Related words
- Word family
- anathematic anathematize anathemic anathemise
Forms
- Plural
- anathemas → curses, condemnations, proscriptions, denunciations…
Choose the right word
Anathema, curse, execration, and imprecation are modes of invoking vengeance or retribution from a superhuman power upon the person against whom they are uttered. Anathema is a solemn ecclesiastical condemnation of a person or of a proposition.
J. C. Fernald, English Synonyms and Antonyms (1914)
Example sentences
- curse Don't curse or I'll wash your mouth out with soap.
- condemnation His remarks added up to a condemnation of my plan.
- denunciation The world must unite in the denunciation of colonial practices.
- antipathy I experienced a feeling of antipathy towards the speaker.
Popularity over time
| Word | 1850 → 2019 | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| anathema | rising | |
| curse | rising | |
| condemnation | falling | |
| denunciation | steady | |
| proscription | falling | |
| antipathy | steady |
Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.
By length
- 3 letters
- ban1
- 5 letters
- curse1
- 7 letters
- censure2
- 9 letters
- antipathy4, reprobate3
- 10 letters
- execration
- 11 letters
- malediction, imprecation, fulmination
- 12 letters
- condemnation4, denunciation5, proscription3
The small number after each word is its number of syllables (censure2 = 2 syllables).