forbidding
adjective
for·bid·ding
fər-ˈbi-diŋ 
fȯr-
1
: such as to make approach or passage difficult or impossible
forbidding walls
2
: disagreeable, repellent
a forbidding task
Examples of forbidding in a Sentence
a harsh and forbidding landscape
a dark, forbidding house, that is reputed to be haunted
Recent Examples on the Web
The hike out to it is one of San Diego County’s most famous, and most forbidding.
—
Abby Hamblin, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Dec. 2025
Despite its forbidding appearance, the building is now a cultural centre.
—James Medd, Condé Nast Traveler, 25 Dec. 2025
Each shot looks like a page out of a cursed tome of twisted, postmodern fairy tales, the images forbidding and slightly abstract.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 1 Dec. 2025
But Cheney rarely tried to combat the image painted by critics and comedians of him as a dour partisan, dark and forbidding.
—Susan Page, USA Today, 4 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for forbidding
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Abby Hamblin, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Dec. 2025
Despite its forbidding appearance, the building is now a cultural centre.
—James Medd, Condé Nast Traveler, 25 Dec. 2025
Each shot looks like a page out of a cursed tome of twisted, postmodern fairy tales, the images forbidding and slightly abstract.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 1 Dec. 2025
But Cheney rarely tried to combat the image painted by critics and comedians of him as a dour partisan, dark and forbidding.
—Susan Page, USA Today, 4 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for forbidding
Cite this Entry
“Forbidding.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/forbidding. Accessed 16 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
forbidding
adjective
: tending to frighten or discourage
a dark forbidding sky
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