cultural taboos
Unspoken societal prohibitions
Cultural taboos are behaviors, topics, or practices that a society forbids or strongly discourages, often without explicit laws—the prohibition is enforced through social disapproval, shame, or disgust.
These vary widely across cultures: eating certain animals, discussing death openly, pointing with a finger, or mixing foods may be taboo in one society and unremarkable in another.
In many cultures, asking someone's salary is a cultural taboo.
The phrase often appears when explaining why something acceptable elsewhere causes offense: She didn't realize bare shoulders in the temple violated cultural taboos.
- forbiddenNot allowed
- social normsShared behavioral expectations
- shamePainful awareness of failure
- stigmaMark of dishonor
- unspokenNot verbally expressed
disgrace · honor killing · profane · sacred · ritual · violation · outcast · cast out · purity · ancestors · burial · menstruation · body parts · incest · blood relatives · cannibalism · eating habits · blasphemy
- social codessocial norms, social norm, unwritten rule, unspoken rule, unspoken rules
- scandalscandal, infamy, disgrace, coverup, cover-up
- Adventure ArchaeologyIndiana Jones, The Mummy, Lara Croft, ancient artifacts, tomb raiding
- Arabic love poetrylove poetry, beloved, lover, yearning, Layla
- blood loreblood sacrifice, blood rituals, blood magic, blood oaths, blood covenant
cultural tabooscultural norms
Society's accepted behaviors
social customs · social conventions · cultural celebrations · rites of passage · cultural values
cultural tabooshuman rights
Inalienable personal freedoms
natural law · moral absolutes · global standards · universal values · universal morality
culture, cultural, culturally, cultured, uncultured, cultures, culturing, agriculture, agricultural