verboten

adjective

ver·​bo·​ten vər-ˈbō-tᵊn 

fər-, 

ver-

: not permitted or allowed : forbidden or prohibited by or as if by authority

These visits … qualify as "research" under the convoluted regulations of the U.S. embargo and are therefore deemed legal, whereas pleasure travel is verboten.

—Richard Alleman

Same-sex marriage and gay parents, topics once verboten in mainstream America, have become hot-buttons in this election year.

—Dirk Johnson et al.

… it's easy to forget that such intercultural exchanges were once verboten.

—Boston

For a long time paisley ties were verboten on the Jayhawk bench because Brown was wearing one when he lost his first game at Kansas five years ago.

—Jack McCallum

Did you know?

Despite its spelling, the adjective verboten has nothing to do with verb, or any of the other words in English related to Latin verbum. Rather, verboten comes from German, and originally from Old High German farboten, the past participle of the verb farbioten, meaning "to forbid." (Forbid itself derives from Old English forbēodan, a relative of farbioten.) Verboten is used to describe things that are forbidden according to a law or a highly regarded authority. There also exists the rarely used noun verboten, meaning "something forbidden by authority," as in "well-established verbotens."

Synonyms of verboten

• forbidden
• prohibited
• banned
• taboo

Examples of verboten in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

One of them invites Bonnie over for a sleepover, and Jessie sneaks into her overnight bag, not realizing that toys are verboten to the new generation. —Damon Wise, Deadline, 16 June 2026

And even on the sprawling, hallowed grounds of Theresienwiese, home to the world-famous Oktoberfest and its smaller, springtime counterpart, Munchner Fruhlingsfest, alcohol-free beer is no longer considered verboten. —David Dickstein, Oc Register, 10 June 2026

That's not a bad thing—the Camp Snap 2 is just as affordable and easy to use as its forebear, and its display-free design continues, so kids can use it to preserve memories at summer camps and school events where smartphones and screen time are verboten. —Jim Fisher, PC Magazine, 2 June 2026

Daily prayers and Bible study sessions are strictly regimented for the children; cellphones, computer games and secular music, among many other things, are verboten. —Guy Lodge, Variety, 18 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from German, going back to Old High German farboten, past participle of farbiotan "to forbid," (parallel to Old English forbēodan "to forbid entry 1"), from far-, fur- for- + biotan "to offer" — more at bid entry 1

First Known Use

1866, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for verboten

• multiphoton
• oaten

Podcast

Get Word of the Day delivered to your inbox!