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
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
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
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
Susan Page, USA Today, 4 Nov. 2025
Christopher Smith, Oc Register, 13 May 2026
OpenAI leaned into the curious habit, choosing to highlight the goblin-forbidding prompt in a tweet.
—Frank Landymore, Futurism, 30 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for 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
The play begins with a forbidding thumping on a glass window outside a bare bones upstairs apartment where B lives a subsistence-level life with his mother.
—Christopher Smith, Oc Register, 13 May 2026
OpenAI leaned into the curious habit, choosing to highlight the goblin-forbidding prompt in a tweet.
—Frank Landymore, Futurism, 30 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for forbidding
Recent Examples of Synonyms for forbidding
Adjective
-
The series follows the residents of a remote island town called Widow’s Bay, just off the coast of New England, that just so happens to be cursed and haunted with all manner of terrifying things.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
12 June 2026
-
The premise sees the town’s citizens coming around a campfire and spilling the beans on some of most terrifying deeds.—
Borys Kit,
HollywoodReporter,
12 June 2026
Adjective
-
As a designer taking over a venerable house, previews with her were both a bit intimidating but always heartwarming.—
Lisa Lockwood,
Footwear News,
11 June 2026
-
Appearing in the three episodes leading up to the season 6 finale, Willis played Paul Stevens, the intimidating father of Ross' student girlfriend.—
Kevin Jacobsen,
Entertainment Weekly,
10 June 2026
Noun
-
More grounded than Scarface and tenfold beyond The Bonfire of the Vanities (1990), the film focuses on Eliot Ness' attempt to bring down Al Capone during the 1930s prohibition.—
Eric Farwell,
Entertainment Weekly,
12 June 2026
-
But our children deserve more than prohibition alone.—
Belonging Forum,
Forbes.com,
12 June 2026
Verb
-
The Transport Workers Union has prevailed once again in its destructive effort to get the state Legislature to once again pass a bill outright prohibiting one-person train operation (OPTO) in the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s vast subway system.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
11 June 2026
-
In 2023, a Mayday Health mobile billboard truck in Boise was asked to leave city limits due to a city code prohibiting mobile billboards.—
Nicole Blanchard,
Idaho Statesman,
11 June 2026
Adjective
-
What began as a quiet evening quickly turned frightening after the couple climbed onto the jetty rocks to look for shells and crabs.—
Ashley Vega,
PEOPLE,
11 June 2026
-
By the time of The Social Reckoning, a website that was once used to rate the attractiveness of women has gone on to disrupt global politics on a frightening scale.—
Brianna Zigler,
Entertainment Weekly,
10 June 2026
Adjective
-
But Rose bet that a less gruff voice, ultimately Mike Brown’s, was required to win it all.—
Sean Gregory,
Time,
14 June 2026
-
Platner, a gruff 41-year-old Marine Corps veteran, is trying to unseat Republican Senator Susan Collins with a platform of economic populism, universal health care, labor protections, and anti-interventionism.—
Elizabeth Bruenig,
The Atlantic,
4 June 2026
Noun
-
The reforms led to the creation of the forward pass and the banning of dangerous formations.—
Jackson Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
21 Apr. 2026
-
Magyar’s focus on the economy means reform of Hungary’s draconian anti-LGBTQ+ laws, which currently includes the banning of Pride marches and fines for promoting homosexuality in schools, may not be a priority.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Players will still be able to cover their mouths when conversing normally, but outlawing the act during disagreements is designed to remove plausible deniability for any player accused of making discriminatory remarks while their mouth is obscured.—
Jordan Campbell,
New York Times,
31 May 2026
-
Legal experts say the latest ruling is different, functionally outlawing cash bail in most cases, and strictly capping the amount in others.—
Sonja Sharp,
Los Angeles Times,
29 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Forbidding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/forbidding. Accessed 16 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
