forbidden fruit

American  

[fer-bid-n froot, fawr-bid-n] / fərˈbɪd n ˈfrut, fɔrˈbɪd n /

noun

1. (in the Bible) the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, tasted by Adam and Eve against God's prohibition.

2. any unlawful pleasure, especially illicit sexual indulgence.

3. pomelo.

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forbidden fruit British  

noun

1. any pleasure or enjoyment regarded as illicit, esp sexual indulgence

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forbidden fruit Cultural  

1. The fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil in the Garden of Eden, often pictured as an apple, which God forbade Adam and Eve to eat. Their disobedience brought about the Fall of Man.

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forbidden fruit Idioms  

1. Unlawful pleasure or enjoyment; illicit love. For example, After Mary moved in with John, Tom began courting her—forbidden fruit is sweet, I guess, or Smoking behind the woodshed, that's a case of forbidden fruit. This expression alludes to Adam and Eve's violation of God's commandment not to touch fruit from the tree of knowledge, which resulted in their expulsion from the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:6). In the form forbidden fruit is sweet it appeared in numerous early English proverb collections.

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Discover More

“Forbidden fruit” is used commonly to refer to anything that is tempting but potentially dangerous. It is often associated with sexuality.

Etymology

Origin of forbidden fruit

First recorded in 1660–70

Example Sentences

An early TV commercial for Apple Daily featured the then 48-year-old Lai biting the forbidden fruit while dozens of arrows took aim at him.

From BBC • Dec. 20, 2025

This may be due to a "forbidden fruit" effect, which could make potentially aversive material more tempting to viewers.

From Science Daily • Oct. 12, 2023

In every version of the story, Eve ate the forbidden fruit first.

From Salon • Jun. 8, 2023

As the story’s many twists expose Daisy and Craig for who they really are, they come to understand that once the worm turns, the forbidden fruit isn’t quite so appealing.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 25, 2023

She still did lip service to the old ways, while herself nibbling away at forbidden fruit.

From "How the García Girls Lost Their Accents" by Julia Alvarez