1
as in terrifying
causing fear
a dark, forbidding house, that is reputed to be haunted
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in gruff
harsh and threatening in manner or appearance
told us in a forbidding voice to stop calling him by that name
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in prohibiting
the act of ordering that something not be done or used
the landlord's forbidding of loud music after 10:00 p.m.
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as in banning
to order not to do or use or to be done or used
smoking is forbidden throughout the building we forbid you to see him
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of forbidding
Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 27 Jan. 2025
New York’s hospitality industry can be downright forbidding to outsiders.
—Vassi Chamberlain, airmail.news, 19 Oct. 2024
Susanne Rust, Los Angeles Times, 5 Dec. 2024
Last month, the judge overseeing that case imposed a three-year injunction forbidding Google from a number of practices, such as the use of terms forcing app developers to use Google’s proprietary payment system for in-app billing.
—Brian Fung, CNN, 20 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for forbidding
Adjective
Early on, the piece is spare and a bit forbidding, with relentless repetitions of solitary figures.
—Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 27 Jan. 2025
New York’s hospitality industry can be downright forbidding to outsiders.
—Vassi Chamberlain, airmail.news, 19 Oct. 2024
Verb
Kennedy has been a vocal advocate for raw milk, and has criticized FDA policy forbidding interstate sales of the product.
—Susanne Rust, Los Angeles Times, 5 Dec. 2024
Last month, the judge overseeing that case imposed a three-year injunction forbidding Google from a number of practices, such as the use of terms forcing app developers to use Google’s proprietary payment system for in-app billing.
—Brian Fung, CNN, 20 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for forbidding
Recent Examples of Synonyms for forbidding
Adjective
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Back in August, Renner spoke about how his terrifying snowplow accident in January 2023 led to his daughter becoming a little more independent.—
Hannah Sacks,
People.com,
28 Mar. 2025
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The terrifying predicament happened Sunday, March 23, in a wooded area off Interstate 10 in LaPlace, the St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff’s Office said in a March 26 news release.—
Mark Price,
Miami Herald,
27 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Simultaneously punched out, yet refusing to stay down for the count, a gruff Smith does his actorly best to understand, then diss, his public’s view of the slap heard round the world.—
A.D. Amorosi,
Variety,
28 Mar. 2025
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In a gruff voice, Fino speculated about what besides the mushroom might have caused the disease.—
Shayla Love,
The Atlantic,
23 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Smith, who is now winding down both his cases against the president-elect due to a longstanding Department of Justice policy prohibiting the prosecution of a sitting president, has not provided any details about the contents of his report.—
Katherine Faulders,
ABC News,
8 Jan. 2025
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That has prompted states including Colorado, New York and California to enact legislation prohibiting medical debt from being included on residents' credit reports or factored into their credit scores.—
Noam Levey,
NPR,
7 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Good news California began trying to police ghost guns after those frightening findings came out, enacting legislation in both 2022 and 2023 to curtail their unregulated sales.—
Anita Chabria,
Los Angeles Times,
27 Mar. 2025
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But the bloodshed that unfolded March 6-10 in Latakia and Tartous represents a frightening escalation.—
Chris Massaro,
Fox News,
23 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Liston was famous for being ill-tempered and intimidating.—
Jerry McDonald,
The Mercury News,
26 Mar. 2025
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Being invited to speak to a group of leaders—whether peers, senior executives or cross-functional stakeholders—can feel both exciting and intimidating.—
Benjamin Laker,
Forbes.com,
26 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Jha highlighted that in the absence of any strict contractual prohibitions mentioned in the licensing agreements between the streamer and creator, platforms tend to exercise their own editorial discretion.—
Viren Naidu,
IndieWire,
2 Apr. 2025
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Short of a full prohibition, Congress could also look to copy smart reforms from the states, as Judge Glock and Renu Mukherjee have written in a recent Manhattan Institute report.—
The Editors,
National Review,
31 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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In the great-power competition with the United States’ adversaries, none is more formidable than the Chinese Communist Party.—
Arthur Herman,
National Review,
3 Apr. 2025
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Tyler Glasnow is formidable on the mound when healthy.—
Bill Plunkett,
Oc Register,
1 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Fifteen games have passed since, cementing Deepdale as one of the sternest away trips in the English Football League.—
Sam Tighe,
New York Times,
28 Mar. 2025
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Subplots like his minority investment in the sleazy nightclub The Snakehole Lounge afforded him the opportunity to showcase a stunning variety of little coats, unlike Scott, whose stern and straight-laced state auditor Ben Wyatt seemingly never changes into anything less formal.—
Ryan Coleman,
EW.com,
27 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Forbidding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/forbidding. Accessed 8 Apr. 2025.
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