variants
also tabu
as in forbidden
that may not be permitted
asking a guest how much money he or she makes is strictly taboo because it's a rude question to ask a stranger
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
variants
also tabu
1
as in prohibition
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in anathema
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of taboo
Wendy Wisner, Parents, 27 Mar. 2025
Kelsea Peterson / The Athletic) Still, open dialogue around bras is often taboo, particularly as breasts remain highly sexualised.
—Megan Feringa, New York Times, 27 Mar. 2025
Ars Technica, 13 Mar. 2025
The play explore themes of family secrets and morality, and is rooted in plot lines that are still considered taboo more than a century after it was first performed.
—Kristen Tauer, WWD, 10 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for taboo
Adjective
More and more couples consider waiting to have kids in order to travel, work, or just to keep their lives calm before the chaos starts—and this idea is no longer taboo.
—Wendy Wisner, Parents, 27 Mar. 2025
Kelsea Peterson / The Athletic) Still, open dialogue around bras is often taboo, particularly as breasts remain highly sexualised.
—Megan Feringa, New York Times, 27 Mar. 2025
Noun
In December, Ars reported on the military's growing willingness to talk publicly about offensive space weapons, something US officials long considered taboo for fear of sparking a cosmic arms race.
—Ars Technica, 13 Mar. 2025
The play explore themes of family secrets and morality, and is rooted in plot lines that are still considered taboo more than a century after it was first performed.
—Kristen Tauer, WWD, 10 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for taboo
Recent Examples of Synonyms for taboo
Adjective
-
Interpretations of the Torah, as well as associations with the Holocaust, have led tattoos to long be considered forbidden or taboo within Judaism, though contemporary attitudes towards it have somewhat shifted.—
Jacqui Palumbo,
CNN Money,
8 Apr. 2025
-
Thompson, Ha and Brownell also say that Season 4 will dive much more into the Regency era’s upstairs-downstairs class politics than previous seasons, due to Sophie being of a lower class than Benedict and the Bridgerton family, as well as the fairytale and forbidden love tropes.—
Jennifer Maas,
Variety,
14 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
Jha highlighted that in the absence of any strict contractual prohibitions mentioned in the licensing agreements between the streamer and creator, platforms tend to exercise their own editorial discretion.—
Viren Naidu,
IndieWire,
2 Apr. 2025
-
Short of a full prohibition, Congress could also look to copy smart reforms from the states, as Judge Glock and Renu Mukherjee have written in a recent Manhattan Institute report.—
The Editors,
National Review,
31 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
The precocious Sun says he was captivated by the American tycoon’s lessons in cutthroat competition, showmanship and, of course, ego—anathema in a society steeped in the principles of Confucianism and Chinese socialism.—
Chris Dobstaff,
Forbes.com,
27 Mar. 2025
-
Ultimately, Kosminsky had to solve the problem by shooting most of the show indoors to save on the costs that would accrue from trying to control the lighting of any outdoor environment, but having to sacrifice quality for budgetary reasons was anathema to his nature as a craftsperson.—
Harrison Richlin,
IndieWire,
24 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
The list of prohibited and restricted items, as found on the CBP website, includes alcohol, biological materials, firearms, food and produce such as fruits and vegetables, soil, wildlife, fish, and gold, among other items.—
Dan Perry,
Newsweek,
28 Feb. 2025
-
For example, Customs and Border Protection in the United States maintains a list of prohibited and restricted items for anyone entering the US and links to other departments if permits are required.—
Erica Kasper,
WIRED,
21 Aug. 2024
Noun
-
Unfortunately, that's a big no-no for Southerners across the board.—
Catherine Jessee,
Southern Living,
29 Mar. 2025
-
And the grass was synthetic, which was also a no-no for a World Cup.—
Kevin Baxter,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
In keeping with their distaste for regulations, Republicans and the broader conservative legal movement have long treated independent agencies as an abomination—and last month Trump sought to rein them in with an executive order that purported to bring them further under his direct control.—
Cristian Farias,
The New Yorker,
26 Mar. 2025
-
Yes, the end results are abominations, but there’s at least a lot less to get worked up about.—
Louis Peitzman,
Vulture,
21 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Oil crisis Bear Market (1973–1974): Sparked by an oil embargo and economic stagflation, this period saw sharp market declines and economic turbulence.—
AllBusiness,
Forbes.com,
8 Apr. 2025
-
However, Iran received a 10 percent reciprocal tariff and Syria received a 40 percent reciprocal tariff, despite these two nations also being under sanctions and embargoes.—
Lee Habeeb,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
The career professionals at the Manhattan U.S. attorney’s office, led by Acting U.S. Attorney Danielle Sassoon, refused, as Bove’s plan was a perversion of the government’s power to prosecute for partisan political ends.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
3 Apr. 2025
-
Everyone knows what a perversion fragmenting the Taj Mahal would be.—
Ralph Leonard,
The Atlantic,
4 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Taboo.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/taboo. Accessed 13 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share