taboo-breaking
Violating social norms
Taboo-breaking describes actions, words, or works that violate social prohibitions—the unwritten rules about what shouldn't be said, shown, or done.
The term often appears in discussions of art, comedy, or cultural change: The film's taboo-breaking depiction of sexuality sparked controversy.
What counts as taboo-breaking shifts across time and cultures.
Violation of law or code
- boundary-pushingExceeding accepted limits
- defianceOpen resistance to authority
- rebellionDefiance of established power
- unconventionalDeparting from standard practice
provocative · shocking · scandalous · outrageous · irreverent · audacious · bold · daring
Official content restriction
- explicitClearly and directly expressed
- bannedOfficially disallowed
- obsceneGrossly offensive to decency
- pornographicSexually explicit in content
blasphemous · provocateur · avant-garde · underground · counterculture · edgy · raw · uncensored
Unconscious blocking of thoughts
- suppressionForcible prevention or concealment
- inhibitionMental check on behavior
- shamePainful awareness of failure
- guiltMoral self-reproach
denial · avoidance · confrontation · catharsis · liberation · Freudian · id · superego
Worthy of reverence
- profaneIrreverent toward the sacred
- ritualCeremonial set of actions
- desecrationViolating something sacred
- sacrilegeViolation of the hallowed
caste · untouchable · purity · pollution · incest · cannibalism · ancestor · ceremony
Profane speech or vows
- cursingUsing profane language
- profanityVulgar or obscene speech
- slurInsulting group label
- expletiveProfane emotional utterance
obscenity · vulgarity · euphemism · dysphemism · unspeakable · unutterable · four-letter · censor
transgression
Violation of law or code
- boundary-pushingExceeding accepted limits
- defianceOpen resistance to authority
- rebellionDefiance of established power
unconventional · provocative · shocking · scandalous · outrageous · irreverent · audacious · bold · daring · subversive
censorship
Official content restriction
- explicitClearly and directly expressed
- bannedOfficially disallowed
- obsceneGrossly offensive to decency
pornographic · blasphemous · provocateur · avant-garde · underground · counterculture · edgy · raw · uncensored · unfiltered
repression
Unconscious blocking of thoughts
- suppressionForcible prevention or concealment
- inhibitionMental check on behavior
- shamePainful awareness of failure
guilt · denial · avoidance · confrontation · catharsis · liberation · Freudian · id · superego · unconscious
sacred
Worthy of reverence
- profaneIrreverent toward the sacred
- ritualCeremonial set of actions
- desecrationViolating something sacred
sacrilege · caste · untouchable · purity · pollution · incest · cannibalism · ancestor · ceremony · initiation
swearing
Profane speech or vows
expletive · obscenity · vulgarity · euphemism · dysphemism · unspeakable · unutterable · four-letter · censor · bleep
- impietyungodliness, unholiness, irreverence, sacrilege, blasphemy
taboo-breakingconformist
One following accepted norms
conforming · conventional · rule-following · orthodox · compliant
taboo-breakingtraditional
Following long-held customs
conservative · traditionalist · puritanical · moralistic · pious
taboo-breakingcautious
Careful to avoid risk
safe · timid · risk-averse · restrained · inhibited