ENGLISH DICTIONARY

Anathema

Definition, Meaning & Examples

Pronunciation /əˈnæθəmə/ · Part of speech noun

Quick meaning: Anathema is a noun meaning (by extension) Something which is vehemently disliked by somebody.

Meaning

(by extension) Something which is vehemently disliked by somebody.

More Meanings

  1. (literary) An imprecation; a curse; a malediction.
  2. (ecclesiastical) Any person or thing anathematized, or cursed by ecclesiastical authority to unending punishment.
  3. (ecclesiastical, historical) A ban or curse pronounced with religious solemnity by ecclesiastical authority, often accompanied by excommunication; something denounced as accursed.

Example Sentences

I trembled at his ringing wealth Of manifold anathemas […]
If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Maranatha.
That was a curse from which no flight was possible: the anathema of a man who had once known holiness.
Even three years ago, the thought of spending two hours, let alone a whole day, without my mobile would have been anathema.

Word Forms

Synonyms for anathema

Depending on context, synonyms include ban, curse, antipathy, bugbear.

Related Words

Related dictionary entries include cursed, curse, abomination, anathematization, anathemization, commination.

Related Dictionary Tools

Sources & Attribution

FreeDictionaryAPI.com / Wiktionary · Original source · CC BY-SA 4.0

Dictionary data is provided by FreeDictionaryAPI.com and sourced from Wiktionary under its stated license.