anátema
1. A person or thing that is vehemently disliked or rejected; something regarded with intense dislike or disgust
Violence is anathema to the peaceful protesters.
A violência é anátema para os manifestantes pacíficos.
2. A formal curse, condemnation, or excommunication pronounced by a religious authority
The church issued an anathema against the heretic.
A Igreja emitiu um anátema contra o herege.
3. An object of curse or something that is cursed
He considered smoking an anathema to good health.
Ele considerava o fumo um anátema para a boa saúde.
In both American and Brazilian contexts, 'anathema' is primarily used in formal or literary discourse to express strong disapproval. It maintains religious connotations from its ecclesiastical origins, though modern usage is often metaphorical. In religious contexts, particularly in Catholicism and Christianity, the term retains its traditional meaning of formal excommunication.
Related Idioms & Phrases
anathema to someone/something - something that is completely contrary to or opposed to someone's beliefs or values
pronounce an anathema - to formally condemn or curse someone
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