forbidding

adjective
UK: /fəˈbɪd.ɪŋ/
US: /fɚˈbɪd.ɪŋ/

  1. Looking unfriendly or likely to cause problems; seeming difficult to approach or deal with.

    1. The old castle looked dark and forbidding on the hill.
    2. The high walls and locked gates gave the prison a very forbidding appearance, deterring escape.

  2. Discouraging or prohibiting something; not allowing.

    1. The sign was forbidding people to swim in the lake.
    2. Strict regulations were forbidding the use of mobile phones during the meeting.

Synonyms

unfriendly threatening grim strict
forbidding verb

  1. Present participle of forbid: to refuse to allow something.

    1. The law is forbidding the sale of alcohol after 11 PM.
    2. My parents are forbidding me from going to the party tonight due to my grades.

Frequently Asked Questions

The word "forbidding" in English means: Looking unfriendly or likely to cause problems; seeming difficult to approach or deal with., Discouraging or prohibiting something; not allowing..

The phonetic transcription of "forbidding" is /fəˈbɪd.ɪŋ/ in British English and /fɚˈbɪd.ɪŋ/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Synonyms for "forbidding": unfriendly, threatening, grim, strict.

Example usage of "forbidding": "The old castle looked dark and forbidding on the hill.". More examples on the page.