ANATHEMA

Dictionary Definition

Definition of ANATHEMA

1

a : one that is cursed by ecclesiastical authorityb : someone or something intensely disliked or loathed —usually used as a predicate nominative <this notion wasanathema to most of his countrymen — S. J. Gould>

2

a : a ban or curse solemnly pronounced by ecclesiastical authority and accompanied by excommunicationb : the denunciation of something as accursedc : a vigorous denunciation : curse

Examples of ANATHEMA

1. a politician who is anathema to conservatives
2. ideas that are an anathema to me
3. Maugham was not only prolific but also a best-seller, though snobs dismissed his work as middlebrow (a category that few people worry about in our day but that once was anathema). —Edmund White, New York Review of Books, 12 Feb. 2009

What do I think?: I think that this is a situational word. A formal word that at some time became a coloquial word. It is also a strong word.

What do I feel?: I'm not sure what I feel about this word. If anything I feel distant. Yet close. I feel like I could be something of an anathema to my parents. I'm sure every teenager feels like that at times.

 

How can I use this word?: I'm not sure. It seems really specific and strong. Any use of it would really be hyperbolic rather than genuine. I'm not sure if that is a bad or good thing. I know Hemingway would beat me over the head with it.

How will I explain this word to others?: I'd say that it is something akin to an extremely strong pet peeve.