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
Ali Farahmand, IndieWire, 23 May 2025
Soon, the two men came to see the pseudonym as almost taboo.
—Andy Greenberg, Wired News, 22 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 key topics in underground cinema — taboo relationships, homosexuality, prostitution, executions, torture, and political protests — are themes that have long been present in Persian rap.
—Ali Farahmand, IndieWire, 23 May 2025
Soon, the two men came to see the pseudonym as almost taboo.
—Andy Greenberg, Wired News, 22 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
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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 city has argued in court that the state prohibition on voter ID requirements doesn’t explicitly apply to city elections that aren’t consolidated with statewide elections.—
Michael Slaten,
Oc Register,
29 May 2025
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All charitable activity was halted, a prohibition that has not been lifted.—
Christopher Knight,
Los Angeles Times,
28 May 2025
Noun
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As for the state’s longer-term financial picture, the kind of deeper cuts Republicans espouse are anathema to Pritzker and the legislature’s Democratic supermajority.—
Dan Petrella,
Chicago Tribune,
2 June 2025
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China’s regulatory framework and especially its draconian rules regarding data transfers are anathema to foreign partners.—
Charlie Campbell,
Time,
29 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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Another tilting occurred when Trump took on China by imposing a 145% tariff on all its exports to the United States, the functional equivalent of an embargo.—
Bruce Yandle,
Twin Cities,
3 June 2025
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But tariffs are notably different from blockades and embargoes used to oppose military threats.—
Ben Bayer,
Oc Register,
19 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 10 Jun. 2025.
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