forbidding

[fer-bid-ing, fawr-]

adjective

1. grim; unfriendly; hostile; sinister.

   his forbidding countenance.

2. dangerous; threatening.

   forbidding clouds; forbidding cliffs.

forbidding

/ fəˈbɪdɪŋ /

adjective

1. hostile or unfriendly

2. dangerous or ominous

Other Word Forms

• forbiddingly adverb
• forbiddingness noun
• unforbidding adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of forbidding¹

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

Example Sentences

Israel's rejects the ICJ's view and claims that the Geneva Conventions forbidding settlement in occupied territories do not apply - a view disputed by many of its own allies as well as international lawyers.

From BBC

He was released on conditional bail, forbidding him from entering Epping and attending any protest in the UK.

From BBC

So the construction of a detention center with a “moat” of forbidding wildlife is just performative cruelty.

From Los Angeles Times

Not without a tremendous amount of human interventions, including a few beyond those forcing artificial intelligence to comply with Isaac Asimov’s basic law forbidding robots from harming us.

From Salon

George Gascon instituted a policy forbidding his office from sending advocates.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• frightening www.thesaurus.com
• grim 
• menacing 
• off-putting 
• sinister 
• threatening