forbidden
Americanverb
adjective
-
not allowed; prohibited.
a forbidden food in his religion.
-
Physics. involving a change in quantum numbers that is not permitted by the selection rules.
forbidden transition.
adjective
-
not permitted by order or law
-
physics involving a change in quantum numbers that is not permitted by certain rules derived from quantum mechanics, esp rules for changes in the electrical dipole moment of the system
Usage
It was formerly considered incorrect to talk of forbidding someone from doing something, but in modern usage either from or to can be used: he was forbidden from entering/to enter the building
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of forbidden
First recorded in 1200–50, for the adjective
Explanation
When something is forbidden, it's not allowed. You were forbidden to use your father's computer but you did it anyway — and that's why you're grounded. You may recognize the phrase "forbidden fruit," which refers to a famous Bible story about Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. They ate an apple that God had forbidden them to eat, and there were terrible consequences. "Forbidden fruit" refers to something you want even more than you might otherwise, because you're not allowed to have it. If you know a little German, you may notice that forbidden sounds like its German equivalent, verboten.
Vocabulary lists containing forbidden
Maniac Magee
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Code Talker
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myPerspectives 8.2
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Joyce’s works had never been placed on the Vatican’s Index of Forbidden Books, but for decades after independence in 1922 they and countless others met opposition from the Roman Catholic Church.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 24, 2026
Appeared in the March 27, 2026, print edition as 'Five Centuries of a Forbidden Bible'.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 26, 2026
The Forbidden City was the heart of imperial China for more than 500 years and remains laden with symbolism of its powerful past.
From Barron's • Jan. 29, 2026
Earlier this month, a jury found Universal Studios Hollywood responsible for the crushed spine that lawyers said 74-year-old Pamela Morrison suffered when exiting the Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey ride in September 2022.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 24, 2025
The sun was already sinking behind the Forbidden Forest, gilding the top branches of the trees.
From "Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban" by J.K. Rowling
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
