Vocabulary

anath·e·ma

anath·e·ma

\ə-ˈna-thə-mə\

noun

: someone or something that is very stronglydisliked

Full Definition

1 a : one that is cursed by ecclesiasticalauthority
b : someone or something intensely disliked orloathed - usually used as a predicatenominative <this notion was anathema to mostof his countrymen - S. J. Gould>2 a : a ban or curse solemnly pronounced byecclesiastical authority and accompanied byexcommunication
b : the denunciation of something as accursed
c : a vigorous denunciation : curse

Examples

uttered an anathema before driving thewould-be robber from the his shopthe use of animals in the testing of cosmeticsis anathema to animal-rights activists