terminology - Word for "example of what not to do"


I found the term "anti-example" when googling for a word that means "example of what not to do" but I've never heard of it being used in common usage and googling it doesn't seem to lead to any dictionary entries. A "bad example" seems me to mean "an example that's not very representative of the subject matter" rather than "an example that conveys the exact opposite meaning".


Is there a commonly used word that most people would agree means "example of what not to do"?



Answer



An example of what not to do is called "a bad example" or a "cautionary tale." Lecturers on morality and other scolds worry that the bad example will not teach the object lesson of what not to do, but rather will encourage imitation. From one such scold, William Dodd, in his 1792 Sermons to Young Men



[I]t is unquestionable that] ... that bad company and bad example will for the most part be sufficient to corrupt.



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