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
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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
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Recent Examples of taboo
Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 14 May 2025
Similarly, the series and its approach to taboo topics like mental health issues, toxic masculinity and interracial relationships have helped members of the cast, crew and viewers alike.
—Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 9 May 2025
Anne Tapp Jaksa, Baltimore Sun, 14 Apr. 2025
In line with the playwright’s other works, Mason expresses taboos through shimmering poetry and creative multipart casting that gives actors a chance to showcase their flexibility and range.
—Amanda L. Andrei, Los Angeles Times, 15 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for taboo
Adjective
The goofy novelty of AI making adequate songs out of taboo subjects will fade, but millions bending the knee to robotic mediocrity isn’t going away anytime soon.
—Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 14 May 2025
Similarly, the series and its approach to taboo topics like mental health issues, toxic masculinity and interracial relationships have helped members of the cast, crew and viewers alike.
—Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 9 May 2025
Noun
By fostering informed discussions, educators can help build future generations that understand race not as a taboo or a divisive force, but as something to celebrate.
—Anne Tapp Jaksa, Baltimore Sun, 14 Apr. 2025
In line with the playwright’s other works, Mason expresses taboos through shimmering poetry and creative multipart casting that gives actors a chance to showcase their flexibility and range.
—Amanda L. Andrei, Los Angeles Times, 15 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for taboo
Recent Examples of Synonyms for taboo
Adjective
-
Her investigation reveals forbidden rituals and buried wartime secrets connected to a sealed cave, with supernatural forces closing in around her.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
15 May 2025
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Here’s the synopsis: The story of Dorrigo Evans, an army surgeon whose short but forbidden affair with his uncle's wife sustains and haunts him through his darkest days in a Thai-Burmese prisoner of war camp in WWII.—
Paul Tassi,
Forbes.com,
17 Apr. 2025
Noun
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The broad prohibition also seems to work against Trump’s stated goal of bringing more jobs to America.—
Brandon Kochkodin,
Forbes.com,
20 May 2025
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Some suffragists argued that immigrants opposed suffrage for women and prohibition, and therefore immigrant voting posed a threat to their agenda.—
Time,
Time,
19 May 2025
Noun
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Yet that very framing is anathema to the Chinese side—and likely to cause Beijing to disengage altogether.—
Zongyuan Zoe Liu,
Foreign Affairs,
29 Apr. 2025
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Polis also tried to expand the talks to include some of his priorities that were anathema to labor.—
Seth Klamann,
Denver Post,
6 May 2025
Adjective
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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
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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
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And that’s a bit of a no-no. DeBlois: Then Alan stumbled upon a guy named Mark Keali‘i Ho‘omalu, who was a kumu hula — a hula master who was living in the Bay Area.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
21 May 2025
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The official scorer, Michael Duca, reversed the ruling between innings, potentially making a controversial scoring change the only thing standing between the local kid throwing a no-no in his hometown ballpark.—
Evan Webeck,
Mercury News,
20 May 2025
Noun
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The series was an abomination of epic scale for Miami, but one that maybe shouldn’t have shocked following a 37-45 regular season and 10th playoff seed that worked up in the play-in to No. 8.—
Greg Cote,
Miami Herald,
29 Apr. 2025
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And that would be an abomination – an abuse of power, and punishment against the weakest, most fragile and youngest in our country.—
Ailsa Chang,
NPR,
17 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Under that deal, the two sides agreed to reduce by 115 percentage point tariffs that had amounted to a de facto trade embargo between two highly integrated economies — leaving assembly lines stalled, ports quieted and companies on both sides reeling with how to cope.—
Simone McCarthy,
CNN Money,
22 May 2025
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And if that is not depressing enough, the EFL will be all over the club’s accounts for next season, so the prospect of transfer embargoes and agreed budgets is very real.—
Rob Tanner,
New York Times,
20 May 2025
Noun
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That's a perversion of the separation of powers and the role of an independent Justice Department.—
Ryan Lucas,
NPR,
19 May 2025
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These opposition movements shared one common goal: exposing the fallacies of the communist perversion of truth.—
Andrew Nagorski,
Foreign Affairs,
30 Nov. 2012
Cite this Entry
“Taboo.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/taboo. Accessed 5 Jun. 2025.
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