Synonyms for anathema
əˈnæθ ə məanath·e·ma

English Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:1.0 / 2 votes

1. anathema

   In the highest sense, as in a court of justice, "an oath is a reverent appeal to God in corroboration of what one says," Abbott Law Dict.; an affidavit is a sworn statement made in writing in the presence of a competent officer; an adjuration is a solemn appeal to a person in the name of God to speak the truth. An oath is made to man in the name of God; a vow, to God without the intervention, often without the knowledge, of man. In the lower sense, an oath may be mere blasphemy or profane swearing. 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. Curse may be just and authoritative; as, the curse of God; or, it may be wanton and powerless: "so the curse causeless shall not come," Prov. xxvi, 2. Execration expresses most of personal bitterness and hatred; imprecation refers especially to the coming of the desired evil upon the person against whom it is uttered. Malediction is a general wish of evil, a less usual but very expressive word. Compare TESTIMONY.

   Synonyms:
   adjuration, affidavit, ban, blaspheming, blasphemy, curse, cursing, denunciation, execration, imprecation, malediction, oath, profane swearing, profanity, reprobation, swearing, sworn statement, vow

   Antonyms:
   benediction, benison, blessing

Princeton's WordNetRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. anathema, bete noirenoun

   a detested person

   "he is an anathema to me"

   Synonyms:
   bete noire

2. anathemanoun

   a formal ecclesiastical curse accompanied by excommunication

   Synonyms:
   bete noire

Matched Categories

1. • Execration
   • Unpleasant Person

Dictionary of English SynonymesRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. anathemanoun

   Synonyms:
   curse, malediction, denunciation, imprecation, fulmination, ban, execration, proscription, excommunication

Synonyms, Antonyms & Associated WordsRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. anathemanoun

   Synonyms:
   denunciation, malediction, curse, execration, condemnation

PPDB, the paraphrase databaseRate these paraphrases:0.0 / 0 votes

1. List of paraphrases for "anathema":

   cursed

Suggested Resources

1. anathema

   Song lyrics by anathema -- Explore a large variety of song lyrics performed by anathema on the Lyrics.com website.

How to pronounce anathema?

How to say anathema in sign language?

Usage in printed sourcesFrom: 

1. [["1582","1"],["1607","2"],["1620","1"],["1641","3"],["1643","1"],["1644","1"],["1646","1"],["1648","1"],["1652","1"],["1678","1"],["1679","6"],["1686","2"],["1688","1"],["1699","1"],["1705","4"],["1706","5"],["1707","2"],["1710","3"],["1712","3"],["1713","2"],["1714","1"],["1715","1"],["1717","6"],["1720","1"],["1721","3"],["1722","4"],["1725","1"],["1726","8"],["1727","3"],["1728","31"],["1729","2"],["1730","1"],["1731","22"],["1732","3"],["1733","10"],["1734","3"],["1735","14"],["1736","3"],["1737","18"],["1738","29"],["1739","4"],["1740","4"],["1741","1"],["1742","2"],["1743","2"],["1744","2"],["1745","15"],["1746","7"],["1747","8"],["1748","16"],["1749","8"],["1750","11"],["1751","14"],["1752","8"],["1753","9"],["1754","9"],["1755","13"],["1756","1"],["1757","18"],["1758","6"],["1759","21"],["1760","8"],["1761","46"],["1762","6"],["1763","14"],["1764","41"],["1765","11"],["1766","22"],["1767","13"],["1768","19"],["1769","18"],["1770","14"],["1771","13"],["1772","28"],["1773","26"],["1774","8"],["1775","8"],["1776","17"],["1777","19"],["1778","10"],["1779","16"],["1780","17"],["1781","20"],["1782","46"],["1783","18"],["1784","5"],["1785","23"],["1786","25"],["1787","30"],["1788","87"],["1789","48"],["1790","87"],["1791","47"],["1792","58"],["1793","45"],["1794","35"],["1795","33"],["1796","48"],["1797","27"],["1798","35"],["1799","48"],["1800","65"],["1801","71"],["1802","154"],["1803","121"],["1804","134"],["1805","98"],["1806","85"],["1807","106"],["1808","142"],["1809","98"],["1810","153"],["1811","164"],["1812","248"],["1813","157"],["1814","169"],["1815","210"],["1816","173"],["1817","208"],["1818","166"],["1819","164"],["1820","308"],["1821","275"],["1822","409"],["1823","363"],["1824","382"],["1825","330"],["1826","357"],["1827","353"],["1828","468"],["1829","544"],["1830","345"],["1831","660"],["1832","439"],["1833","605"],["1834","611"],["1835","517"],["1836","706"],["1837","411"],["1838","742"],["1839","1013"],["1840","831"],["1841","1002"],["1842","904"],["1843","691"],["1844","1064"],["1845","875"],["1846","924"],["1847","920"],["1848","1208"],["1849","772"],["1850","1016"],["1851","1332"],["1852","1204"],["1853","1090"],["1854","1566"],["1855","1259"],["1856","1040"],["1857","921"],["1858","678"],["1859","886"],["1860","1072"],["1861","1230"],["1862","465"],["1863","505"],["1864","708"],["1865","808"],["1866","643"],["1867","894"],["1868","659"],["1869","1084"],["1870","1399"],["1871","878"],["1872","983"],["1873","731"],["1874","926"],["1875","963"],["1876","989"],["1877","1133"],["1878","799"],["1879","797"],["1880","867"],["1881","907"],["1882","848"],["1883","1863"],["1884","1084"],["1885","932"],["1886","661"],["1887","965"],["1888","899"],["1889","903"],["1890","864"],["1891","1081"],["1892","746"],["1893","863"],["1894","883"],["1895","1738"],["1896","1700"],["1897","1039"],["1898","1024"],["1899","1168"],["1900","1087"],["1901","1157"],["1902","1068"],["1903","1575"],["1904","1095"],["1905","1635"],["1906","1518"],["1907","1173"],["1908","1520"],["1909","1449"],["1910","1306"],["1911","1046"],["1912","1629"],["1913","1354"],["1914","1212"],["1915","1081"],["1916","881"],["1917","1271"],["1918","865"],["1919","957"],["1920","1224"],["1921","1102"],["1922","1344"],["1923","1293"],["1924","1168"],["1925","1194"],["1926","1034"],["1927","1120"],["1928","1504"],["1929","1210"],["1930","1410"],["1931","1373"],["1932","1315"],["1933","1035"],["1934","1290"],["1935","1307"],["1936","1395"],["1937","1263"],["1938","1232"],["1939","1349"],["1940","1167"],["1941","1537"],["1942","931"],["1943","926"],["1944","800"],["1945","935"],["1946","1217"],["1947","1379"],["1948","1499"],["1949","1670"],["1950","1651"],["1951","1421"],["1952","1606"],["1953","1454"],["1954","1555"],["1955","1735"],["1956","1912"],["1957","2491"],["1958","1952"],["1959","2088"],["1960","2674"],["1961","2815"],["1962","3080"],["1963","3049"],["1964","3439"],["1965","3707"],["1966","3919"],["1967","4288"],["1968","4692"],["1969","4581"],["1970","4842"],["1971","4947"],["1972","5641"],["1973","4693"],["1974","4360"],["1975","4523"],["1976","4618"],["1977","4406"],["1978","4522"],["1979","4539"],["1980","4692"],["1981","4679"],["1982","5333"],["1983","5192"],["1984","5288"],["1985","5242"],["1986","5708"],["1987","6180"],["1988","6717"],["1989","7043"],["1990","7290"],["1991","7270"],["1992","7587"],["1993","7437"],["1994","8275"],["1995","8729"],["1996","9010"],["1997","8998"],["1998","9673"],["1999","9829"],["2000","11179"],["2001","11011"],["2002","12000"],["2003","13475"],["2004","14312"],["2005","13640"],["2006","15477"],["2007","15487"],["2008","18515"]]

Words popularity by usage frequency

How to use anathema in a sentence?

1. Sturt Manning:

   It seeks to destroy diversity and enforce narrow uniformity. Evidence of a tolerant, diverse past is anathema, what it fears is memory and knowledge, which it cannot destroy.

2. Jeffrey Sonnenfeld:

   Tariffs, trade wars and anti-immigration policies are anathema to business. They hate that.

3. Stacey Abrams:

   I do not believe in the privatization of justice, there is a profit motive behind private prisons that is anathema to the core of who we are as Americans.