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

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

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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.

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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

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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
Reams of barbed wire gathered from the fields around Penpont were fashioned into a mesh curtain whose ends wrapped around two columns at the top of the museum’s grand staircase; the result was both alluring and forbidding. — Rebecca Mead, New Yorker, 9 Feb. 2026 California’s booming economy is one of the world’s largest, but a peek behind the curtain exposes the forbidding reality of a statewide job market that is ranked as one of the nation’s worst. — George Avalos, Mercury News, 7 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
Anyone attempting to think seriously about Elon Musk is confronted with a forbidding cognitive dissonance. — Mark O’Connell, The New York Review of Books, 4 July 2026 The parliament in England created laws against Quakers, forbidding them to worship freely, charging them with punishments for refusing to take oaths or refusing to remove their hats. — Tesfaye Negussie, ABC News, 3 July 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
  • Set thousands of years in the future, the Blight has wiped out most of civilization, and while the name sounds gruesome and terrifying, the Blight itself is verdant and filled with flowers.
    — Ollie Barder, Forbes.com, 23 July 2026
  • The trailer shows Depp as Scrooge tormented by the terrifying spirits of Christmas, haunting him throughout the Christmas season.
    — Tanya Fedak, Variety, 23 July 2026
Definition of terrifying
Adjective
  • Epic Inky Stix in Robotic Red make experimenting with red eyeliner feel a whole lot less intimidating.
    — Marci Robin, Allure, 20 July 2026
  • But success has not made his career’s work any less intimidating.
    — Preston Fore, Fortune, 20 July 2026
Definition of intimidating
Noun
  • One Democratic commissioner joined with three Republicans in voting in favor of the prohibition.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 21 July 2026
  • The 14th Amendment’s foundational principles include birthright citizenship, due process, equal protection under the law, and the prohibition for heads of state to engage in acts of insurrection.
    — Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 21 July 2026
Definition of prohibition
Verb
  • The ruling granted a temporary restraining order prohibiting the firms from completing the merger and from consolidating their operations.
    — Jon Brodkin, ArsTechnica, 20 July 2026
  • Key Background Federal prosecutors have increasingly used statutes prohibiting the sending of threats against the president to pursue posts made on social media.
    — Antonio Pequeño IV, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026
Definition of prohibiting
Adjective
  • However, changing the Social Security formula to a means-testing base, and applying it immediately to all existing Social Security recipients, is a frightening idea.
    — U T Readers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 July 2026
  • Panettiere's pregnancy was marked by a series of frightening health scares.
    — Stephanie Nolasco, FOXNews.com, 20 July 2026
Definition of frightening
Adjective
  • Matt Damon plays Odysseus as a gruff, practical tactician, rather than an energetically inventive and morally dubious schemer.
    — Caroline Mimbs Nyce, New Yorker, 17 July 2026
  • The New Zealander drew international acclaim for roles as gruff loners and unhinged villains.
    — Harrison Smith, Washington Post, 13 July 2026
Definition of gruff
Noun
  • Rescues during holidays have declined in recent years, owing to the prohibition of alcohol on Memorial Day, Labor Day, and the Fourth of July, along with the banning of diving along the Clay Banks, Nunez said.
    — Reeti Malhotra July 10, Sacbee.com, 10 July 2026
  • The talk was organized by local synagogues and the Chattanooga Jewish Federation in response to the banning of the novel by a nearby Tennessee school district a month prior.
    — SPIN Team, SPIN, 22 June 2026
Definition of banning
Verb
  • North Carolina's legislature also passed a bill outlawing public camping and allowing any resident or business owner to sue the state if an encampment was not cleared within five business days.
    — Marissa J. Lang, NPR, 21 July 2026
  • The legislation fails to address the property rights of the owners of about 200 horses and the 68 medallions as well as the iffy legal question of outlawing what not only has been a legal trade, but one formally licensed and sanctioned by the city.
    — New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 20 July 2026
Definition of outlawing

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Cite this Entry

“Forbidding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/forbidding. Accessed 26 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on forbidding

Nglish: Translation of forbidding for Spanish Speakers

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