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
- forbiddenly adverb
- forbiddenness noun
- preforbidden adjective
- self-forbidden adjective
- unforbidden adjective
Etymology
Origin of forbidden
First recorded in 1200–50, for the adjective
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.
The platform will also be forbidden from restricting such third-party ticket sales in any way, whether by leveling extra fees or by adding any glitches to competitor transactions.
From Slate • Mar. 10, 2026
Reporters are forbidden by Hezbollah from freely accessing the group's stronghold in Beirut's southern suburbs, although the organisation does organise press trips.
From Barron's • Mar. 10, 2026
Throughout her life, “if she was forbidden to do or say something,” we read, “her first impulse was to do it anyway.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 27, 2026
With viewers set to find out if the pair's simmering forbidden love can conquer all, Australian actress Yerin Ha, who plays Sophie, tells Newsbeat that representing her community is all she's "ever wanted".
From BBC • Feb. 26, 2026
I sit with Amanda and her parents even though Apa has forbidden me to see her.
From "A Step from Heaven" by An Na
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.
