forbidding 1 of 3

adjective

fər-ˈbi-diŋ How to pronounce forbidding (audio)
Definition of forbiddingnext
1
as in terrifying
causing fear a dark, forbidding house, that is reputed to be haunted

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in intimidating
harsh and threatening in manner or appearance told us in a forbidding voice to stop calling him by that name

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

forbidding

2 of 3

noun

as in prohibiting
the act of ordering that something not be done or used the landlord's forbidding of loud music after 10:00 p.m.

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

forbidding

3 of 3

verb

present participle of forbid
as in banning
to order not to do or use or to be done or used smoking is forbidden throughout the building we forbid you to see him

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of forbidding
Adjective
His prose is equally forbidding—dense and abstract, in the long tradition of German philosophy. — Adam Kirsch, The Atlantic, 3 May 2026 Meanwhile, the windswept moors feel like something out of a classic thriller, forbidding and alluring at once. — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 16 Feb. 2026
Noun
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
Verb
The filmmaker contrasts her bucolic nature scenes with shots of the giant ships passing by and the interiors and exteriors of the factories located near the island, belching smoke and lit up at night like a forbidding theme park. — Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 17 Sep. 2026 Some saw the other cheaters get away with it and concluded the prompt forbidding cheating had no teeth—that there wouldn’t be any punishment for cheating. — Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 8 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for forbidding
Recent Examples of Synonyms for forbidding
  1. terrifying
  2. intimidating
  3. prohibition
  4. prohibiting
  5. frightening
  6. gruff
  7. banning
  8. outlawing
Adjective
  • Malerman’s truly terrifying horror novel, 2024’s Incidents Around the House, upon which Other Mommy is based, tells the tale of struggling married couple Ursula and Ross and their young daughter, Bela.
    — Brenna Ehrlich, Rolling Stone, 28 Oct. 2026
  • Scottie’s punishing, smothering treatment of Judy, who bears much more than a passing resemblance to Madeleine, borders on truly terrifying to many women watching the film.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of terrifying
Adjective
  • The Man With the Bag is rated PG, which means there couldn’t possibly have been a moment where Schwarzenegger called his family, say, covered in fake blood or wielding an intimidating weapon.
    — Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 22 Oct. 2026
  • On their own, the clues in the set are brief and uninformative enough to be a little intimidating.
    — Caitlin Lovinger, New York Times, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of intimidating
Noun
  • Noncitizens who knowingly violate the prohibition on casting ballots can face fines or up to a year in prison under federal law or a state sentence of up to three years in county jail.
    — Ben Paviour, Sacbee.com, 23 Oct. 2026
  • The Senate will soon weigh in on the latest Farm Bill, which now seeks to expand market opportunities for mink farmers by undoing a prohibition in federal law on subsidizing the fur trade.
    — Nat Lash, ProPublica, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of prohibition
Verb
  • Nelson’s attorneys submitted a letter requesting an investigation into whether the city’s actions violated California law prohibiting the use of public resources for campaign activity.
    — Nicole Buss, Sacbee.com, 23 Oct. 2026
  • But the starting assumption of these debates is that responsible business conduct legislation is inherently costly, and that weakening EU legislation and prohibiting more ambitious member state laws will reduce those costs.
    — Ben Vanpeperstraete, Footwear News, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of prohibiting
Adjective
  • As the frightening phantom of Frank the Bunny warns, this parallel reality has a ticking clock that’ll result in its imminent collapse in just 28 days, 6 hours, 42 minutes, and 12 seconds.
    — Jeff Spry, Space.com, 26 Oct. 2026
  • For neighbors, the crash brought a frightening interruption to an otherwise routine afternoon.
    — Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 25 Oct. 2026
Definition of frightening
Adjective
  • Defying the old-school stereotype of the hard-nosed, gruff newspaper boss, Vaughn often mentored young reporters in a serious but friendly and encouraging manner.
    — Martin E. Comas, The Orlando Sentinel, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Over three decades in stand-up comedy, Bill Burr has gained a reputation for saying, with gruff conviction and political fire, the thing on everyone’s mind.
    — Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of gruff
Noun
  • The measures include the banning and blocking certain features for users younger than 16.
    — Dade Hayes, Deadline, 21 Oct. 2026
  • The 20th century text is updated with notes on cyberbullying, viral videos , school shootings, conspiracy thinking, conservative populism, book banning and even beer pong.
    — Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of banning
Verb
  • The Supreme Court agreed Monday to consider outlawing school diversity policies that limit Asian American students at magnet programs and selective high schools.
    — Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 2026
  • After the Supreme Court ruling outlawing affirmative action, civil rights groups filed a federal complaint challenging Harvard’s legacy and donor preferences.
    — Jayson Weingarten, Fortune, 26 Sep. 2026
Definition of outlawing

Browse Nearby Words

forbidden
forbidding
forbids
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Forbidding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/forbidding. Accessed 30 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of reticent

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Pwn, Skibidi, Girlboss and Other Words Added to the 2026 Scrabble Dictionary

The Words of the Week - Oct. 30

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All