Forbidding
Forbidding adjective - Harsh and threatening in manner or appearance.
Usage example: told us in a forbidding voice to stop calling him by that name
Serious and forbidding are semantically related. In some cases you can use "Serious" instead an adjective "Forbidding".
Serious
Serious adjective - Not joking or playful in mood or manner.
Forbidding and serious are semantically related. Sometimes you can use "Forbidding" instead an adjective "Serious".
Nearby Words: seriously, seriousness
Mutual synonyms
Both words in one sentence
- Boise, Idaho has (or had) a law forbidding public nudity unless it has "serious artistic merit".
Source: Loophole Abuse / Real Life Law
Cite this Source
Serious and Forbidding. (2016). Retrieved 2026, August 01, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/forbidding/serious
Forbidding & Serious. N.p., 2016. Web. 01 Aug. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/forbidding/serious>.
Serious or Forbidding. 2016. Accessed August 01, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/forbidding/serious.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "forbidding" and "serious" have occurred on timeline