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

Derived Forms

• forˈbiddingly, adverb
• forˈbiddingness, noun

Other Words From

• for·bidding·ly adverb
• for·bidding·ness noun
• unfor·bidding adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of forbidding¹

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

Example Sentences

The city of Los Angeles, meanwhile, is moving forward with a plan to make it a “sanctuary city” by forbidding city employees from being involved in federal immigration enforcement.

From Los Angeles Times

‘Satanic Verses’ Ban Ends: In 1988, India issued an order forbidding the import of Salman Rushdie’s novel “The Satanic Verses.”

From New York Times

Whether it winds up forbidding mandatory work for prisoners will probably be determined in the courts.

From Los Angeles Times

Komal’s morning view was of jagged, forbidding mountains, the rush of the river dozens of metres below the family home on the cliff.

From BBC

As a practical matter, by far the most important protections against vengeful prosecutions are career federal prosecutors’ nonpartisan professionalism and the norms forbidding the White House from telling them whom to prosecute.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• frightening
• grim
• menacing
• off-putting
• sinister
• threatening