Definition

1. Adjective:

   • Appearing unfriendly, threatening, or severe: Describing something that seems stern, uninviting, or likely to cause fear or discomfort.
   • Harshly uninviting or formidable in appearance or manner: Describing an atmosphere, place, or person's demeanor that is stern, bleak, or intimidating.

2. Noun:

   • An official order or law that prohibits something: The act of forbidding; a prohibition or ban.

Examples of Usage

• Adjective:

  • The castle had a dark and forbidding appearance.
  • She gave him a forbidding look that stopped his questions immediately.
  • The path up the mountain was steep and forbidding.

• Noun:

  • The forbidding of smoking in public places has improved air quality. (This usage is less common than the adjective form.)

Advanced Usage

• "Forbidding aspect/manner": A stern or intimidating appearance or way of behaving.

  • Despite his forbidding manner, he was a kind man at heart.

• "Forbidding landscape/terrain": Describing land that appears harsh, dangerous, or difficult to traverse.

  • The explorers faced the forbidding terrain of the Arctic.

Variants and Related Words

• Forbid (verb): To command someone not to do something; to prohibit.

  • I forbid you to go there alone.

• Forbiddingly (adverb): In a stern, threatening, or uninviting manner.

  • The guard stared forbiddingly at the intruders.

• Forbiddance (noun): The act of forbidding; prohibition. (Formal/Legal)

  • The forbiddance of certain chemicals was enacted by the treaty.

Synonyms

• Adjective: Menacing, grim, stern, ominous, daunting, intimidating, hostile, uninviting.
• Noun: Prohibition, ban, interdiction, embargo, proscription.

Antonyms

• Adjective: Welcoming, inviting, friendly, approachable, pleasant.
• Noun: Permission, allowance, authorization, sanction.

Related Phrases

• A forbidding presence: An intimidating or awe-inspiring person or thing.

  • The principal was a forbidding presence in the school hallway.

• To lift a forbidding: To remove a prohibition. (Formal)

  • The government lifted the forbidding on international travel.

Adjective

1. threatening or foreshadowing evil or tragic developments
   • a baleful look
   • forbidding thunderclouds
   • his tone became menacing
   • ominous rumblings of discontent
   • sinister storm clouds
   • a sinister smile
   • his threatening behavior
   • ugly black clouds
   • the situation became ugly
2. harshly uninviting or formidable in manner or appearance
   • a dour, self-sacrificing life
   • a forbidding scowl
   • a grim man loving duty more than humanity
   • undoubtedly the grimmest part of him was his iron claw- J.M.Barrie

Noun

1. an official prohibition or edict against something