forbidden

forbidden — adjective

1. If an action, object, or topic is forbidden, someone in authority has stated tha

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

If an action, object, or topic is forbidden, someone in authority has stated that it must not be done, used, or discussed.

Example

Smoking is strictly forbidden inside the hospital building.

be + strictly forbidden + location

The security guard told Dylan that parking here was forbidden after 6 p.m.

be forbidden + time condition clause

Common collocations
  • strictly forbidden
  • expressly forbidden
  • socially forbidden
  • forbidden fruit
  • forbidden territory
  • forbidden love
  • forbidden zone
  • forbidden subject
Synonyms
  • prohibited

    More formal than forbidden; very common in written rules, official signs, and legal documents.

  • banned

    Emphasises an official decision to stop something entirely; often used for products, substances, or activities.

  • outlawed

    Strongest of the group; means made illegal by a formal law, used for serious offences.

  • taboo

    Refers to social or cultural prohibitions rather than legal ones; something avoided because it is considered offensive.

Antonyms
  • allowed

    The most direct opposite; simply means permitted.

  • permitted

    Slightly more formal than allowed; used in official or written contexts.

  • acceptable

    Focuses on whether something is considered socially or morally right rather than legally allowed.

Grammar Patterns

forbidden + noun

be forbidden

be forbidden to + infinitive

be forbidden from + -ing

Usage Note

Common patterns include be forbidden to + infinitive (formal rules and signs) and be forbidden from + -ing (more frequent in everyday contexts). The adverbs strictly and expressly are the most common intensifiers used with forbidden.

Common Mistakes

Smoking is forbid in this restaurant.
Smoking is forbidden in this restaurant.
'forbidden' is the correct adjective form (past participle); 'forbid' is the base verb form.
The teacher forbidden us to talk.
The teacher forbade us to talk.
use 'forbade' (past simple) for an action that happened in the past; 'forbidden' is the past participle used with 'be' or 'have'.
Idioms

forbidden fruit

idiom

Something that is not permitted, which makes people want it even more.

Maya couldn't resist the forbidden fruit of her brother's diary.

Why does forbidden fruit always seem so tempting to us?

Word family

  • forbid
    verbB2
  • forbidding
    adjectiveC1
  • forbiddance
    nounC2
  • forbiddingly
    adverbC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All four words describe something that is not allowed, but they differ in register, scope, and context. Prohibited is the most formal of the group and is the standard term in legal writing, official signage, and regulations (e.g., 'Photography is prohibited inside the museum'). Banned suggests an active decision by an authority to stop a specific thing, often a product, substance, or person (e.g., 'The country banned single-use plastic bags in 2022'). Outlawed is the strongest and means made illegal through written law, typically applied to serious matters such as slavery, discrimination, or weapons (e.g., 'Child labour was outlawed a century ago'). Taboo is different from the other three because it describes social or cultural prohibition rather than legal — something taboo is avoided because a community considers it offensive, embarrassing, or dangerous (e.g., 'In some families, discussing politics is taboo'). While forbidden overlaps with all four, it is the most general and can replace any of them in everyday speech, though it may sound less precise in formal or legal contexts.

prohibitedbanned ↗outlawedtaboo

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

Prepositions

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

Forbidden comes from the Old English word forbēodan, which combined for- (meaning 'against') and bēodan (meaning 'to command' or 'to bid'). The original sense was to command someone against doing something — that is, to order them not to do it. Over time, the past participle forbidden became established as a standalone adjective describing anything that is not allowed. The verb forbade (the past tense) remains in use but is less common in everyday speech.