haram means Forbidden by Islam: unlawful, sinful. Lexicurio rates it Rare gem — a strength score of 83 out of 100.
Why this word is great
HARAM — [Adjective] Forbidden or proscribed by Islamic law, making its commission or consumption a sin. Borrowed from Arabic حَرَام (ḥarām, "forbidden, unlawful"), from the root ح ر م (ḥ-r-m) relating to prohibition and sacredness. Unlike *halal*, its doctrinal antonym charting a path of permissibility, or *taboo*, a secular and culturally opaque injunction, *haram* carries the solemn weight of divine decree. It is the abstained hand over a glass of wine, the quiet omission from a shared platter, the architectural void where an idol would stand—a conscious negation that carves out the very space for devotion, mapping the sacred contours of a faithful life.
adj
- Forbidden by Islam: unlawful, sinful.“I can’t speak about sex with my friends in Arabic. The words are too heavy and culturally loaded. It all sounds haram (sinful).”
noun
- A sin.“In case of necessity it is permissible to change one's madhhab or to do a few things according to another madhhab. It is haram to cheat in order to omit a fard or commit a haram.”