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Synonyms

forbidding

American  
[fer-bid-ing, fawr-] / fərˈbɪd ɪŋ, fɔr- /

adjective

  1. grim; unfriendly; hostile; sinister.

    his forbidding countenance.

  2. dangerous; threatening.

    forbidding clouds; forbidding cliffs.
forbidding British  
/ fəˈbɪdɪŋ /

adjective

  1. hostile or unfriendly

  2. dangerous or ominous

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • forbiddingly adverb
  • forbiddingness noun
  • unforbidding adjective

Etymology

Origin of forbidding

First recorded in 1710–15; forbid + -ing 2

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.

A government notice said junta chief Min Aung Hlaing ordered releases of more than 7,300 prisoners convicted under legislation forbidding "financing of terrorism" and harbouring or arranging transport for "any terrorist group".

From Barron's • Mar. 2, 2026

But that decision does not prevent Congress from forbidding them by legislation.

From Slate • Feb. 19, 2026

Twenty-seven states have laws or policies forbidding this, but two appellate courts say that’s wrong.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 11, 2026

Barolo, Barbaresco and Brunello might be the greatest of all Italian red wines, but they can be quite pricey, not to mention forbidding in their youth, requiring years if not decades to soften.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 27, 2025

Behind them rose the Wall: immense, forbidding, frigid, acrawl with builders pushing up a new switchback stair to join the remnants of the old.

From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin

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.