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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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
Osees can be a forbidding proposition, even for longtime followers of John Dwyer’s garage-psych armada. — Stuart Berman, Pitchfork, 18 June 2026 The main entrance is sealed by a forbidding steel gate, pierced only by a peephole through which the durwans can scrutinize would-be visitors. — Literary Hub, 16 June 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
  • But getting that fissile material off the launchpad safely remains a terrifying engineering hurdle.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 10 July 2026
  • After Weyland-Yutani’s spaceship collides with Prodigy City, Wendy and the other hybrids encounter mysterious life forms more terrifying than anyone could have ever imagined.
    — Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 9 July 2026
Definition of terrifying
Adjective
  • Still, this ambitious movie adaptation’s pedigree might just be more intimidating than any of the game’s brutally difficult boss battles.
    — Matt Cabral, Entertainment Weekly, 15 July 2026
  • More premium than the Kawasaki KLX300SM, more race-focused than the Suzuki DR-Z4SM, lighter and more competition-oriented than the KTM 390 SMC R, and most importantly, considerably cheaper and less intimidating than the Hypermotard 698 Mono.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 15 July 2026
Definition of intimidating
Noun
  • While the executive order was largely perceived as a flexible behavioral intervention, Section 815 would be a stricter prohibition contingent on waivers that reaches far beyond prime military contractors.
    — Garrett Downs, CNBC, 14 July 2026
  • The prohibition, together with the delegated and implementing acts, will apply to large companies beginning Sunday.
    — Tianwei Zhang, Footwear News, 14 July 2026
Definition of prohibition
Verb
  • The proposal would prevent the state from prohibiting or interfering with reproductive healthcare, including contraception, fertility treatment, miscarriage management and childbirth care.
    — Nicole Blanchard, Idaho Statesman, 13 July 2026
  • But elite club soccer and the Major League Soccer academies have conspired to kill it by prohibiting their players from participating in high school or middle school programs.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 12 July 2026
Definition of prohibiting
Adjective
  • Obviously there’s day to day stuff but to me, that’s just another frightening thing about being trapped in a system.
    — Caroline Reilly, Forbes.com, 10 July 2026
  • Cortlandt Koerwitz/Instagram A family's Fourth of July outing took a frightening turn when a bear charged at a father outside his Lake Tahoe vacation home after startling his daughters.
    — Shafiq Najib, ABC News, 9 July 2026
Definition of frightening
Adjective
  • His deep voice could command a room, and voters were drawn to his gruff populism and focus on economic inequality.
    — Kimberlee Kruesi, Los Angeles Times, 9 July 2026
  • Abraham Lincoln furiously scribbled in Springfield on June 27, 1858, firing off a gruff note to the editor-in-chief of the Chicago Press & Tribune, then in business for only 11 years.
    — Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 27 June 2026
Definition of gruff
Noun
  • 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
  • The reforms led to the creation of the forward pass and the banning of dangerous formations.
    — Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 21 Apr. 2026
Definition of banning
Verb
  • In a brief order, the high court agreed to take up a pair of cases challenging local and state laws outlawing AR-15s and similar semi-automatic rifles.
    — Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 30 June 2026
  • 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
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 17 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on forbidding

Nglish: Translation of forbidding for Spanish Speakers

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