TABOO: Synonyms and Related Words. What is Another Word for TABOO?

Need another word that means the same as “taboo”? Find 26 synonyms and 30 related words for “taboo” in this overview.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Usage Examples of "Taboo" as an adjective

• A taboo subject.
• The burial ground was seen as a taboo place.
• Sex was a taboo subject.

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.