What does the word anathema mean?

Usage examples for anathema

  1. Those who have followed the writer at all closely will have already noticed the irresistible impulse of succeeding generations to secure to themselves the strongest possible anathema with which to carry on all manner of petty hostilities. – A Cursory History of Swearing by Julian Sharman
  2. But he had turned away, hands thrust deep into the pockets of his coat, brow rumpled into a frown, jaw set to anathema of the plight in which a needless fortune had plunged him. – Captivating Mary Carstairs by Henry Sydnor Harrison
  3. The anathema of the Church went out against the new order. – History of Modern Europe 1792-1878 by C. A. Fyffe