Taboo

/təˈbuː/ · noun

Meaning

An inhibition or ban that results from social custom or emotional aversion..

Definitions by Sense

1. An inhibition or ban that results from social custom or emotional aversion.
2. (in Polynesia) Something which may not be used, approached or mentioned because it is sacred.
3. Excluded or forbidden from use, approach or mention.
4. Culturally forbidden.
5. To mark as taboo.
6. To ban or prohibit.
7. To avoid.

Example Sentences

It is true indeed that a taboo - in order to be a proper taboo - must not rest in the general mind on argument or reason.

So among the Alfoors of the island of Buru it is taboo to mention the names of parents and parents-in-law, or even to speak of common objects by words which resemble these names in sound.

The sharp differentiation of the sexes in our culture was shaped most probably by monogamy and monosexuality and their tabus.

For a structuralist like Edmund Leach, the structure is the meaning. Genesis, for example, is about incest taboos; all the rest is noise and mystification.

American society has a double standard when it comes to sexuality. We have a puritanical taboo against talking about sexuality directly, yet we are fine with the sexual images that pervade television and glossy magazines.

Now, we assume that people who check their watches at dinner are probably trying to avoid pulling out their phones, which would be ruder and more disruptive. In other words, mass adoption killed the taboo.

Incest is a taboo subject in most soap operas.

Sweets and fats are strictly taboo in my home.

Synonyms for taboo

Antonyms for taboo

Related Words

Word Forms

• taboos
• tabu
• tapu
• more taboo
• most taboo
• tabooing
• tabooed

Usage Notes

Choose a synonym only when it preserves the intended meaning, tone, and grammar of the full sentence.

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