Make Your Point > Archived Issues > ANATHEMA
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The backstory on the word anathema is a bit kooky.
It comes from a Greek word meaning "a thing devoted," which warped to mean "a thing devoted to evil," and in English, an anathema was originally some person kicked out of the church: someone cursed, damned, consigned to evil, handed over to the devil. Here's 1 Corinthians 16:22: "Yf eny man love not the lorde Jesus Christ, the same be anathema maranatha." (Translation: "If anyone does not love the Lord, let that person be cursed! Come, Lord!") (Jeez.)
The meaning of "anathema" expanded from a person hated and cursed to also a thing hated and cursed, such as slavery. And anathemas became curses themselves, from your typical profanities to milder ones like "Gadzooks!" and "Confound it!" Here's May Agnes Fleming (1870): "He went after her, growling anathemas between his royal teeth."
Today, an anathema is usually something you hate or curse: something that so deeply offends you that you wouldn't hesitate to kick it straight to hell. In other words, it's your be__ n__re: your black beast, the thing you despise most deeply.
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make your point with...
"ANATHEMA"
Something anathema to people is something deeply hated by them.
Pronunciation:
uh NATH uh muh
Part of speech:
It's a noun, both the countable kind ("this anathema") and the uncountable kind ("it remains anathema to us").
But most of the time, we treat it like a quasi-adjective: that is, we put it after a linking verb: "it's anathema to us," "that would be anathema to them." But we don't put it before a noun like we do with real adjectives; that is, we don't say "an anathema policy" or "that anathema belief." When you need a true adjective, pick "anathematic" or "anathematical," both of which are rare: "an anathematic policy," "that anathematical belief."
Other common forms:
You can make it plural: "anathemas."
How to use it:
Thanks to its angry, churchy, biblical, judgmental, fire-and-brimstone history, this word is formal and often serious, with a harsh, bitter tone: "these terrible crimes are anathema to the American people;" "captivity is anathema to the human spirit."
But we can use it for lighthearted exaggeration, too: "She's five, so to her, any leafy green vegetable is anathema."
As the above examples show, we often say that something is anathema to someone. That is, we say that some object, technology, symbol, comment, saying, custom, tradition, program, policy, law, action, decision, method, approach, movement, trend, idea, opinion, or concept is anathema to someone (or to some like-minded group of people).
Although things are usually anathema to some person, things can also be anathema to some goal, purpose, vision, value, principle, etc.
Can a person be anathema to another a person? Absolutely, it's just rarer. Here's Slate: "These [conservative] judges are anathema to [Judge Damon] Keith’s enduring vision of constitutional equality."
And, although we most often use the phrase "this is anathema to them," (or some variant, like "for them, this would be anathema"), you can also deem something anathema, consider something anathema, avoid some anathema, discuss or ridicule some anathema, etc.
How it's different from "antithetical:"
Sometimes you'll see writers use "anathema" when they mean "antithetical," or "in direct opposition." It's an easy mistake to make. "Anathema" does look like it could literally mean "anti-thematic." And we do often use "anathema" to mean "the very opposite of everything I stand for."
Still, despite their overlap in tone and meaning, "antithetical" and "anathema" are different words: "antithetical" the more detached, neutral label of "opposite;" and "anathema" the more fiery, bitter label of "hated."
examples:
"McDonald’s is famous for selling all-beef hamburgers in the United States, but it also operates with a tailored menu in India, where beef consumption is anathema to most consumers."
— Joel Waldfogel, Slate, 24 January 2019
"The supermarket is anathema to fermentation: live fermentation generates carbon dioxide and methane, stinking up the aisles and bursting through the packaging."
— Aaron Vansintjan, The Guardian, 18 January 2019
has this page helped you understand "anathema"?
study it:
Explain the meaning of "anathema" without saying "abomination" or "hated thing."
try it out:
Fill in the blanks: "_____ remain(s) anathema to _____."
Serious example: "Reckless government spending remains anathema to conservatives."
Lighthearted example: "Humidity remains anathema to our hair. Frizz is not cute."
before you review, play:
Spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—let your working memory empty out first.
Our game this month is Distinctive Definitions.
We're taking a scenic slog through poetic and philosophical definitions, wading through similes, metaphors, personifications, hyperboles, grandiloquence, and cheesiness.
In each issue, consider a definition provided by a poet, a writer, or a philosopher, and see if you can name the definiendum: the thing or concept being defined. (Is it life, love, time, death, music, sleep, pain, laughter, bubblegum, stubbing your toe…???) For example, James Russell Lowell (1819-1891) said, "What men call ________ and the Gods call dross." He’s defining something—what is it? "Treasure."
Now, you can play this game in earnest, trying to think of what the poet actually wrote--or you can play it for laughs, supplying the silliest or most sarcastic answer you can muster.
To take the silliness to the next level, gather your friends or family, deal each person a hand of cards from your copy of Apples to Apples (great for kids) or Cards Against Humanity (not for kids!!), and enjoy the ensuing hilarity. (In these games, players take turns being the judge for each round, picking the funniest from everyone’s submissions.) "What men call stretch limos and the Gods call dross." "What men call Morgan Freeman's voice and the Gods call dross."
From the previous issue:
Theodore Tilton (1835-1907) (a super-fun guy) said,
"What is _____?
_____ is but a slow decay—
Even this shall pass away."
Answer: Fame.
Try this one today:
William Earnest Henley (1849-1903) said,
"From the winter's gray despair,
From the summer's golden languor,
_____, the lover of Life,
Frees us for ever."
review this word:
1. A near opposite of ANATHEMA is
A. FINITE.
B. BELOVED.
C. THEMATIC.
2. When your goal is _____, cooperation is anathema.
A. to build community
B. to balance work and family
C. to be the one winner left standing
a final word:
Make Your Point is crafted with love and brought to you each weekday morning by Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words.
From Liesl's blog:
36 ways to study words.
Why we forget words, & how to remember them.
How to use sophisticated words without being awkward.
To be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.
Disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.
The backstory on the word anathema is a bit kooky.
"ANATHEMA" Something anathema to people is something deeply hated by them.
"McDonald’s is famous for selling all-beef hamburgers in the United States, but it also operates with a tailored menu in India, where beef consumption is anathema to most consumers."
Explain the meaning of "anathema" without saying "abomination" or "hated thing."
Fill in the blanks: "_____ remain(s) anathema to _____."
Spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—let your working memory empty out first.
1. A near opposite of ANATHEMA is
|