1
as in terrifying
causing fear
a dark, forbidding house, that is reputed to be haunted
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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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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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of forbidding
Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 21 June 2024
For months, housing market conditions in a handful of battleground counties have been slightly less forbidding than in the U.S. overall, according to NBC News’ Home Buyer Index, which measures the relative difficulty of buying a home from one county to the next nationwide.
—Shannon Pettypiece, NBC news, 22 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
Slowly, the color drains out of the image and the green frontier becomes a forbidding, black-and-white expanse.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 21 June 2024
For months, housing market conditions in a handful of battleground counties have been slightly less forbidding than in the U.S. overall, according to NBC News’ Home Buyer Index, which measures the relative difficulty of buying a home from one county to the next nationwide.
—Shannon Pettypiece, NBC news, 22 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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Cumberbatch, in a few moments, expresses the depth of this father’s agony, the terrifying chasm of it.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
26 Jan. 2025
-
Six episodes centre on a variety of different dinosaurs, from terrifying carnivores to docile herbivores.—
John Yoo and John Shu,
Newsweek,
23 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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The track resonates with Belinda’s crystalline vocals, dynamic guitar riffs, and spirited trumpet interplays, while Tito’s distinctively gruff delivery adds grit to their musical escapade.—
Ingrid Fajardo,
Billboard,
17 Jan. 2025
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Resolved to continue on her trip for the sake of her son, Sara finds herself in a perilous situation, and is forced to lean on the elusive Issac Reed (Taylor Kitsch), a gruff recluse who lives on the outskirts of Ft. Bridger.—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
9 Jan. 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
-
This is all frightening enough — and as the hearing revealed, his bogus theories about AIDS, Lyme disease, and a slew of other public health issues make clear Kennedy is no friend of facts or science, and therefore should be utterly disqualified from HHS secretary.—
S.E. Cupp,
New York Daily News,
29 Jan. 2025
-
The statistics on underage drinking are frightening, and alcohol does cause death and injury.—
TJ Hutchinson,
The Denver Post,
28 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Restaurants are making wine lists shorter and less intimidating.—
Alexis Soloski,
New York Times,
17 Jan. 2025
-
GTs are known to be big, cumbersome and heavy – often a little intimidating for the experienced and inexperienced riders alike.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
11 Jan. 2025
Noun
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But on Thursday, Gov. Gavin Newsom extended prohibitions on motel, hotel and rental housing to March 8.—
JANIE HAR THE ASSOCIATED PRESS,
arkansasonline.com,
20 Jan. 2025
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After Trump won in November, the Department of Justice dropped the case, citing the Constitution’s prohibition on indicting or prosecuting a sitting president.—
Julia Coin,
Charlotte Observer,
16 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Despite this, in 1980, in a turning point that helped give rise to the formidable power of the New Right, Reagan continued to lean heavily on the Panama issue in his successful campaign against Carter.—
Julie Greene / Made by History,
TIME,
22 Jan. 2025
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When Judkins’ 70-yard run set up his 1-yard scoring run for a 28-7 lead, Leonard and the Fighting Irish faced a formidable deficit that couldn’t be addressed on more quarterback keepers.—
Charles Odum,
Chicago Tribune,
21 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Many in government won’t want to face stern judgments from an independent outsider.—
U T Editorial Board,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
31 Jan. 2025
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The collision — and the flouting of the flight restriction by others — prompted the Federal Aviation Administration to issue a stern warning against flying drones near wildfires.—
Richard Winton,
Los Angeles Times,
31 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near forbidding
Cite this Entry
“Forbidding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/forbidding. Accessed 5 Feb. 2025.
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