forbidden fruit

noun

: an immoral or illegal pleasure

Example Sentences

For dieters, dessert becomes a forbidden fruit.

Recent Examples on the Web Tanned bodies queued up cheek to cheek for the ATM, or examined bins of bio cucumbers and cantaloupe, their own forbidden fruit hovering inches away. —

Eviana Hartman, Vogue, 14 Feb. 2023 Was an apple really the 'forbidden fruit' in the Garden of Eden? —

Paul Cappiello, The Courier-Journal, 16 Sep. 2022 Today both models cost about the same, averaging around $48,000, but prices continue to climb; a few years ago a great-condition R32 cost less than $30K. R34s, which will hit the magic 25-year mark in 2024, largely remain forbidden fruit. —

Scott Oldham, Car and Driver, 10 Nov. 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'forbidden fruit.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Word History

Etymology

from the forbidden fruit of the Garden of Eden in Genesis 3:2–19

First Known Use

1605, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of forbidden fruit was in 1605

See more words from the same year

Dictionary Entries Near forbidden fruit

forbidden degree

forbidden fruit

forbidding

See More Nearby Entries

Cite this Entry

Style

“Forbidden fruit.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/forbidden%20fruit. Accessed 24 Mar. 2023.

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