Forbidden Meaning
/fəˈbɪdən/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
adjNot allowed; specifically disallowed.
verbpast participle of forbid
Sentence Examples
Smoking in the restaurant was forbidden.
Students are forbidden to smoke on the school grounds.
CEFR Practice Quiz
Entering the military base without a special pass is strictly ____ for civilians.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
In many ancient cultures, it was ____ for commoners to enter the sacred temple grounds.
Word Origin & History
Past participle of the verb forbid. Doublet of verboten. Compare German verboten, Dutch verboden, Swedish förbjuden, and West Frisian ferbean.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Maſters commands come with a power reſiſtleſs / To ſuch as owe them abſolute ſubjection; / And for a life who will not change his purpoſe? / (So mutable are all the ways of men) / Yet this be ſure, in nothing to comply / Scandalous or forbidden in our Law."
— 1671, John Milton, “Samson Agonistes, […].”, in Paradise Regain’d. A Poem. In IV Books. To which is Added, Samson Agonistes, London: […] J[ohn] M[acock] for John Starkey […], →OCLC, page 83, lines 415–420:
"This kind of immediate control structure we take to be characteristic of the tribe, and it leads to a rather rigid type of system in which 'every action not mandatory is forbidden'."
— 1999, Ian Stewart, Jack Cohen, Figments of Reality: The Evolution of the Curious Mind, page 276:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
Entering the military base without a special pass is strictly ____ for civilians.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
In many ancient cultures, it was ____ for commoners to enter the sacred temple grounds.