Need another word that means the same as “taboo”? Find 26 synonyms and 30 related words for “taboo” in this overview.
Table Of Contents:
- Taboo as a Noun
- Definitions of "Taboo" as a noun
- Synonyms of "Taboo" as a noun (10 Words)
- Usage Examples of "Taboo" as a noun
- Taboo as an Adjective
- Definitions of "Taboo" as an adjective
- Synonyms of "Taboo" as an adjective (16 Words)
- Usage Examples of "Taboo" as an adjective
- Associations of "Taboo" (30 Words)
The synonyms of “Taboo” are: tabu, prohibition, proscription, veto, interdiction, interdict, ban, restriction, boycott, anathema, forbidden, out, prohibited, proscribed, verboten, banned, outlawed, illegal, illicit, unlawful, impermissible, not acceptable, restricted, off limits, out of bounds
Taboo as a Noun
Definitions of "Taboo" as a noun
According to the Oxford Dictionary of English, “taboo” as a noun can have the following definitions:
- A practice that is prohibited or restricted by social or religious custom.
- A social or religious custom prohibiting or restricting a particular practice or forbidding association with a particular person, place, or thing.
- An inhibition or ban resulting from social custom or emotional aversion.
- A prejudice (especially in Polynesia and other South Pacific islands) that prohibits the use or mention of something because of its sacred nature.
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Synonyms of "Taboo" as a noun (10 Words)
anathema | Something or someone that one vehemently dislikes. Racial hatred was anathema to her. |
ban | 100 bani equal 1 leu in Moldova. The land might be smitten by the ban which once fell upon the Canaanites. |
boycott | A group’s refusal to have commercial dealings with some organization in protest against its policies. A boycott of the negotiations. |
interdict | A court order forbidding an act; a negative injunction. A papal interdict. |
interdiction | The action of prohibiting or forbidding something. The interdiction of arms shipments. |
prohibition | Refusal to approve or assent to. They argue that prohibition of drugs will always fail. |
proscription | A decree that prohibits something. He plays a the priest whose moral proscriptions lead only to catastrophe. |
restriction | The act of keeping something within specified bounds (by force if necessary. The restriction of the infection to a focal area. |
tabu | An inhibition or ban resulting from social custom or emotional aversion. |
veto | A rejection by right of veto. His veto on our drinking after the meal was annoying. |
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Usage Examples of "Taboo" as a noun
- The use of violence must remain a taboo in our society.
- Speaking about sex is a taboo in his country.
- Many taboos have developed around physical exposure.
- Freud applies his notion of taboo in three ways.
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Taboo as an Adjective
Definitions of "Taboo" as an adjective
According to the Oxford Dictionary of English, “taboo” as an adjective can have the following definitions:
- Excluded from use or mention.
- Prohibited or restricted by social custom.
- Forbidden to profane use especially in South Pacific islands.
- Designated as sacred and prohibited.
![Definitions of "Taboo" as an adjective](https://sp-ao.shortpixel.ai/client/to_auto,q_glossy,ret_img,w_1280,h_765/https://grammartop.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/64d45ac981aadad8d1db889412d34fcad4aa4754.jpg)
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Synonyms of "Taboo" as an adjective (16 Words)
banned | Forbidden by law. |
forbidden | Excluded from use or mention. A list of forbidden books. |
illegal | Contrary to or forbidden by law, especially criminal law. Illegal drugs. |
illicit | Contrary to accepted morality (especially sexual morality) or convention. Illicit drugs. |
impermissible | Not permitted. Impermissible behavior. |
not acceptable | Judged to be in conformity with approved usage. |
off limits | In an unpalatable state. |
out | Outside or external. He was tagged out at second on a close play. |
out of bounds | Not worth considering as a possibility. |
outlawed | Made illegal; banned. An outlawed extremist group. |
prohibited | Forbidden by law. They had deliberately fed prohibited material to their herd. |
proscribed | Excluded from use or mention. |
restricted | Restricted in meaning as e g man in a tall man. Western scientists had only restricted access to the site. |
tabu | Excluded from use or mention. |
unlawful | Not conforming to legality, moral law, or social convention. They claimed the ban was unlawful. |
verboten | Excluded from use or mention. Bank fishing is verboten on Strathbeg. |
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Usage Examples of "Taboo" as an adjective
- A taboo subject.
- The burial ground was seen as a taboo place.
- Sex was a taboo subject.
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Associations of "Taboo" (30 Words)
abstinent | Refraining from an activity or from the consumption of something, especially alcohol. Not totally abstinent but abstemious. |
ban | Ban from a place of residence as for punishment. A three year driving ban. |
banned | Forbidden by law. |
contraband | Relating to traffic in illegal goods. Customs men had searched the carriages for contraband. |
defiance | A hostile challenge. The demonstration was held in defiance of official warnings. |
disallow | Command against. He was offside and the goal was disallowed. |
discouraged | Having lost confidence or enthusiasm; disheartened. He must be feeling pretty discouraged. |
forbid | Refuse entry to a place or area. My sense of tact forbids an honest answer. |
forbidden | Not allowed; banned. A list of forbidden books. |
illegalize | Declare illegal; outlaw. |
impermissible | Not permitted. Their refusal to discuss the issue is impermissible. |
importation | The bringing of goods or services into a country from abroad for sale. His avid importation of ideas from European and Asian thinkers. |
inadmissible | (especially of evidence in court) not accepted as valid. He held that such evidence was inadmissible. |
inhibition | The action of inhibiting a process. A medical inhibition of alcoholic beverages. |
insufferable | Too extreme to bear; intolerable. The heat would be insufferable by July. |
interdict | An ecclesiastical censure by the Roman Catholic Church withdrawing certain sacraments and Christian burial from a person or all persons in a particular district. Society will never interdict sex. |
interdiction | The action of prohibiting or forbidding something. The interdiction of arms shipments. |
intolerable | Incapable of being tolerated or endured. The intolerable pressures of his work. |
outright | Without reservation or exception. The outright abolition of the death penalty. |
pessimistic | Tending to see the worst aspect of things or believe that the worst will happen. He was pessimistic about the prospects. |
prohibit | Formally forbid someone from doing something. He is prohibited from becoming a director. |
prohibition | A decree that prohibits something. In 1920 the 18th amendment to the Constitution established prohibition in the US. |
prohibitionist | A reformer who opposes the use of intoxicating beverages. |
prohibitory | Tending to discourage (especially of prices. |
proscribe | Forbid, especially by law. Certain customary practices which the Catholic Church proscribed such as polygyny. |
proscription | The action of forbidding something; banning. He plays a the priest whose moral proscriptions lead only to catastrophe. |
unauthorized | Not having official permission or approval. An unauthorized strike. |
unbearable | Not able to be endured or tolerated. The heat was getting unbearable. |
unendurable | Not able to be tolerated or endured. Cries of unendurable suffering. |
unsupportable | Not able to be supported or defended. |
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