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
Abby Hamblin, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Dec. 2025
Despite its forbidding appearance, the building is now a cultural centre.
—James Medd, Condé Nast Traveler, 25 Dec. 2025
Susan Page, USA Today, 4 Nov. 2025
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 7 Mar. 2026
That was despite a Spanish edict forbidding Pueblo people to possess horses.
—Debra Utacia Krol, AZCentral.com, 27 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for forbidding
Adjective
The hike out to it is one of San Diego County’s most famous, and most forbidding.
—Abby Hamblin, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Dec. 2025
Despite its forbidding appearance, the building is now a cultural centre.
—James Medd, Condé Nast Traveler, 25 Dec. 2025
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
There appears to be no law expressly forbidding the use of public funds to influence voters.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 7 Mar. 2026
That was despite a Spanish edict forbidding Pueblo people to possess horses.
—Debra Utacia Krol, AZCentral.com, 27 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for forbidding
Recent Examples of Synonyms for forbidding
Adjective
-
What was John thinking before the surface of the water appeared before his windshield, rushing forward at terrifying speed?—
Jeffrey Eugenides,
New Yorker,
4 Apr. 2026
-
As The Boys presents a terrifying dystopia under Homelander (Antony Starr) in the fifth and final season, Eric Kripke recently noted that any narrative similarities to our current dystopia are purely coincidental.—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
4 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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By addressing each of these messes individually, refreshing your home should become much less intimidating, Davis says.—
Jenna Ryu,
SELF,
1 Apr. 2026
-
The stadium was bigger, louder and more intimidating.—
Zoe Bahjat,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Rather than prohibiting unlicensed copies, the patent became, combined with the rise of the internet, a blueprint for pirates.—
Simon Akam,
Vanity Fair,
2 Apr. 2026
-
According to the Wisconsin Watersports Coalition, at least eight states have enacted statewide buffer zones prohibiting wakeboats from operating within 200, 300, or 500 feet of shorelines and docks.—
Dac Collins,
Outdoor Life,
2 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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The idea of frightening children into basic courtesy scares Miss Manners.—
Judith Martin,
Sun Sentinel,
30 Mar. 2026
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Facing the future may mean confronting difficult questions and frightening scenarios.—
Kat McGowan,
NPR,
28 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
As Liborio, an orphan who risked his life to cross the border and ended up living in the attic of a bookstore thanks to the kindness of the gruff owner, Chief (Eddie Marsan), the actor plays a narrator who consistently breaks the fourth wall.—
Carlos Aguilar,
Variety,
18 Mar. 2026
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As Woody Harrelson detailed Harrison Ford's accomplishments from the Actors Awards stage, the famously gruff actor seemed to squirm in his seat, somehow uncomfortable with praise even at the age of 83.—
Eve Batey,
Vanity Fair,
2 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
From the prohibition against representation that binds the globe in images.—
Timmy Straw,
The New York Review of Books,
4 Apr. 2026
-
If the goal is truly to protect consumers, the solution does not lie in reducing the visibility of the legal market through federal prohibitions, but rather in avoiding excessive intervention.—
Cláudia Nunes,
The Orlando Sentinel,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
While many of the California laws banning the political use of public office are civil statutes, one is a criminal statute.—
Will Swaim,
Oc Register,
6 Apr. 2026
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Colorado just enacted the nation’s first law banning arrests based solely on the results of colorimetric drug tests – a field test widely used by law enforcement across the country.—
Holly Yan,
CNN Money,
5 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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This double-digit growth positions the $98-per-year service as a formidable challenger to Amazon Prime, leaning heavily on delivery speed and new streaming partnerships.—
Arthur Zaczkiewicz,
Footwear News,
2 Apr. 2026
-
Its missile force is formidable.—
Micah McCartney,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Forbidding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/forbidding. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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