1
as in terrifying
causing fear
a dark, forbidding house, that is reputed to be haunted
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
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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.
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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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of forbidding
George Avalos, Mercury News, 7 Feb. 2026
Just hearing how dangerous and forbidding K2 is can give you a chill (and the cold is part of it — even at base camp, the temperatures can reach 50 below).
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 22 Jan. 2026
Susan Page, USA Today, 4 Nov. 2025
Frank Landymore, Futurism, 30 Apr. 2026
As far as forbidding a hairstyle in general goes, Silva sort of gets it.
—Elizabeth Gulino, Allure, 28 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for forbidding
Adjective
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
Just hearing how dangerous and forbidding K2 is can give you a chill (and the cold is part of it — even at base camp, the temperatures can reach 50 below).
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 22 Jan. 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
OpenAI leaned into the curious habit, choosing to highlight the goblin-forbidding prompt in a tweet.
—Frank Landymore, Futurism, 30 Apr. 2026
As far as forbidding a hairstyle in general goes, Silva sort of gets it.
—Elizabeth Gulino, Allure, 28 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for forbidding
Recent Examples of Synonyms for forbidding
Adjective
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And Kyle Busch himself won his first Cup championship in 2015 after suffering a broken right leg and a broken left ankle in a terrifying crash at Daytona.—
Mike Bianchi,
The Orlando Sentinel,
29 May 2026
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Robertson plays a beautiful rising but troubled Hollywood starlet who accepts what appears to be the perfect secluded retreat, only to uncover a terrifying web of secrets connected to the property’s mysterious caretaker and the haunting legacy hidden deep within its walls.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
28 May 2026
Adjective
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When safety is embedded into the workplace culture, changing regulations become less intimidating because the organization is already oriented around protecting people.—
John F. McQuillan,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2026
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The context makes their league triumph all the more impressive and all the more intimidating.—
Megan Feringa,
New York Times,
17 May 2026
Verb
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In Miami-Dade, Bal Harbour passed an ordinance prohibiting poor doors.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
28 May 2026
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The agreement also eliminates export restrictions and import duties on raw materials, while prohibiting export monopolies and banning dual pricing on these inputs, to help secure the bloc’s access to critical minerals.—
Glenn Taylor,
Footwear News,
27 May 2026
Adjective
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Nate was a compelling, complex antagonist for Euphoria’s first two seasons, but this season has seen the man brutalized by frightening criminals who make his mind games look like child’s play.—
Dani Di Placido,
Forbes.com,
25 May 2026
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But that only made things slightly less frightening.—
Shania Russell,
Entertainment Weekly,
25 May 2026
Adjective
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Meanwhile, Ye-jin is drawn in by the caring nature beneath Matthew’s gruff surface.—
Kayti Burt,
Time,
29 May 2026
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But the grizzled former Man in Black and man-who-failed-to-ground-Maverick isn’t known for playing the type of gruff ol’ cowpoke who’s about to break into song.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
14 May 2026
Noun
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The Treasury Department has asserted that those special coins fall outside the prohibition on living presidents appearing on money.—
Bill Barrow,
Fortune,
29 May 2026
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But commemorative coins are exempt from the prohibition.—
Joey Garrison,
USA Today,
28 May 2026
Verb
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But others say banning quotas would prevent them from setting clear expectations and evaluating their employees, a point recently illustrated by the Central Ohio Chiefs Association.—
N'dea Yancey-Bragg,
USA Today,
30 May 2026
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Hester referred to Suski signing onto a friend of the court brief in support of a suit challenging West Virginia's law banning transgender girls from competing on female high school or college teams.—
Ryan Anderson,
Arkansas Online,
29 May 2026
Adjective
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The Cuban military, once a formidable expeditionary force during Cold War campaigns in Africa, now struggles with chronic fuel shortages, aging equipment, limited mobility and poor readiness, Pérez said.—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
28 May 2026
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The elder Jackson, one of Chicago’s most famous civil rights icons, died in February and left his formidable organization to his son Yusef.—
Alice Yin,
Chicago Tribune,
28 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Forbidding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/forbidding. Accessed 1 Jun. 2026.
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