1
as in terrifying
causing fear
a dark, forbidding house, that is reputed to be haunted
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2
as in gruff
harsh and threatening in manner or appearance
told us in a forbidding voice to stop calling him by that name
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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.
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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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of forbidding
Will Gottsegen, The Atlantic, 10 June 2025
Resilience was targeting the top of the moon, a less forbidding place than the shadowy bottom.
—Arkansas Online, 6 June 2025
Douglas Markowitz, Miami Herald, 5 Sep. 2025
In 2022, Clark County—home to the famous Las Vegas Strip—implemented regulations limiting short-term rental licenses to 1 percent of total housing units and forbidding short-term rentals within 1,000 feet of each other and 2,500 feet from hotel-casinos.
—Giulia Carbonaro, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for forbidding
Adjective
The basic technology is complicated enough, but the subculture—with its own particular argot and decorum—is what’s truly forbidding.
—Will Gottsegen, The Atlantic, 10 June 2025
Resilience was targeting the top of the moon, a less forbidding place than the shadowy bottom.
—Arkansas Online, 6 June 2025
Verb
The bare walls of the mazelike environment constructed by William Cordova in the art center’s main space may seem forbidding at first.
—Douglas Markowitz, Miami Herald, 5 Sep. 2025
In 2022, Clark County—home to the famous Las Vegas Strip—implemented regulations limiting short-term rental licenses to 1 percent of total housing units and forbidding short-term rentals within 1,000 feet of each other and 2,500 feet from hotel-casinos.
—Giulia Carbonaro, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for forbidding
Recent Examples of Synonyms for forbidding
Adjective
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Last year, a woman in France shared hair-raising footage of her terrifying encounter with a spider.—
Alice Gibbs,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 Sep. 2025
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The existentialist who sits at my desk feels we are each individually thrown into the deep end of existence and tasked with swimming, and that this is a terrifying and heavy task.—
Zadie Smith,
New Yorker,
22 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Panday plays a convincingly gruff tortured artist alongside Padda’s struggling ingenue, and most of the screen time is devoted to their pairing instead of introducing tertiary excess.—
Proma Khosla,
IndieWire,
13 Sep. 2025
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The barbs were frequently aimed at the gruff owner of Mel’s Diner played by the late Vic Tayback.—
Greg Evans,
Deadline,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The ordinance came on top of a vehicle parking ban the council approved last November prohibiting large trucks and RVS from staying in one place longer than 72 hours.—
Kyle Martin,
Mercury News,
19 Sep. 2025
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Numerous American institutions followed suit with policies prohibiting student access from campus networks.—
Melody Brue,
Forbes.com,
17 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The sixth inning also featured a frightening moment when Cleveland’s David Fry, squaring around to bunt, took a 99 mph fastball from Skubal off his face, crumpling to the dirt as Skubal reacted with distress.—
Zack Meisel,
New York Times,
24 Sep. 2025
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Visitors enter a space of torture featuring frightening medical tests and experiments.—
Jim Riccioli,
jsonline.com,
21 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Just like everything old that becomes new again, this generation has claimed Ortega’s dark, stoic, intimidating, deadpan take on Wednesday as their own—perfect Halloween costume material.—
Lauren Brown West-Rosenthal,
Parents,
18 Sep. 2025
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Family backing makes the spotlight a little less intimidating!—
Christina Dugan Ramirez , Larry Fink,
FOXNews.com,
17 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The Hatch Act prohibition against federal employees appearing in campaign settings has historically limited the kinds of events that could draw such high-ranking officials in the first place.—
Arizona Republic,
AZCentral.com,
21 Sep. 2025
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In Las Vegas, Nevada Assembly member Tracy Brown-May worked to get an exception to the state's prohibition on traffic cameras, so that the Bus Patrol's technology could be added to school buses.—
Phaedra Trethan,
USA Today,
21 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Trump's second administration has prioritized rolling back protections for transgender people, including trying to bar trans women from playing sports, banning transgender troops from the military and limiting the ability to have government IDs that match their identity.—
Kinsey Crowley,
USA Today,
20 Sep. 2025
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Trump toward the end of his first term had advocated for banning TikTok — a policy he never got passed but which Biden eventually supported and signed into law.—
Clare Duffy,
CNN Money,
19 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Whether or not that path will continue to be forged without Kirk’s bravado and formidable presence, and who will officially take his place atop Turning Point remains unknown.—
Lily Mae Lazarus,
Fortune,
20 Sep. 2025
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The media giant also has announced plans to acquire most of Fubo and combine the pay-TV operator with Hulu + Live TV, creating a formidable sports-centric combination that critics and at least one shareholder have assailed as a potential monopoly.—
Dade Hayes,
Deadline,
20 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Forbidding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/forbidding. Accessed 27 Sep. 2025.
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