forbidden
Not to be
Forbidden describes what is not allowed or prohibited.
The word carries weight beyond simple prohibition—forbidden things often tempt precisely because they're off-limits: forbidden fruit, forbidden love.
A forbidden zone bars entry.
Forbidden can suggest taboo or sacred restriction: The topic was forbidden in their household.
To be forbidden from something is to be banned from it.
Officially disallowed
- outlawedForbidden by law
- illegalForbidden by statute
- unauthorizedNot officially permitted
- disallowedOfficially not permitted
barred · interdicted · vetoed · embargoed · proscribed · unlawful · contraband · verboten
Kept out of sight
- concealedMade invisible deliberately
- clandestineConcealed from authorities
- covertIntentionally concealed
- undergroundBelow ground or countercultural
black-market · smuggled · bootleg · under-the-table · hush-hush · classified · top-secret · confidential
Too shameful to discuss
- unspeakableBeyond verbal expression
- stigmatizedMarked with social shame
- shamefulCausing or meriting disgrace
- sacrilegeViolation of the hallowed
blasphemy · profane · impious · heresy · indecent · cultural taboo · transgressive · improper
Arousing desire or interest
- enticingPowerfully attractive
- seductivePowerfully attractive, tempting
- irresistibleImpossible to withstand
- tantalizingTeasingly attractive, frustratingly desirable
guilty pleasure · provocative · captivating · bewitching · siren call · enticement · beguiling · desirable
Place of spiritual significance
- sanctuaryProtected sacred space
- inner sanctumInnermost private place
- sacred spaceArea reserved for worship
- hallowedMade or regarded holy
consecrated · tabernacle · sanctified · no-go zone · inviolable · holy of holies
banned
Officially disallowed
- outlawedForbidden by law
- illegalForbidden by statute
- unauthorizedNot officially permitted
disallowed · barred · interdicted · vetoed · embargoed · proscribed · unlawful · contraband · verboten · off-limits
hidden
Kept out of sight
- concealedMade invisible deliberately
- clandestineConcealed from authorities
- covertIntentionally concealed
underground · black-market · smuggled · bootleg · under-the-table · hush-hush · classified · top-secret · confidential · off-the-books
unmentionable
Too shameful to discuss
- unspeakableBeyond verbal expression
- stigmatizedMarked with social shame
- shamefulCausing or meriting disgrace
sacrilege · blasphemy · profane · impious · heresy · indecent · cultural taboo · transgressive · improper · offensive
tempting
Arousing desire or interest
- enticingPowerfully attractive
- seductivePowerfully attractive, tempting
- irresistibleImpossible to withstand
tantalizing · guilty pleasure · provocative · captivating · bewitching · siren call · enticement · beguiling · desirable · appealing
holy ground
Place of spiritual significance
- sanctuaryProtected sacred space
- inner sanctumInnermost private place
- sacred spaceArea reserved for worship
hallowed · consecrated · tabernacle · sanctified · no-go zone · inviolable · holy of holies
- Dystopia1984, Nineteen Eighty-Four, dystopian fiction, totalitarianism, Brave New World
- Forbiddenprohibited, banned, not allowed, off-limits, taboo subject
- normsnorm, norms, standard, social norms, rule
- prohibitionsban, prohibition, prohibit, outlawing, banned
- Stay Awayback off, keep out, stay away, leave alone, keep away
- unacceptableunacceptable, inappropriate, improper, wrong, prohibited
forbiddenpermitted
Granted leave to proceed
allowed · permissible · authorized · sanctioned · approved
forbiddenmandatory
Required by rule
required · compulsory · obligatory · ordered · commanded
forbiddenacceptable
Meeting minimum standards
seemly · suitable · proper · appropriate · respectable
- forbidden fruitEnticing thing that's prohibited
- forbidden loveRomance society prohibits
- forbidden knowledgeDangerous truths deliberately hidden
- forbidden zoneArea entry is prohibited
- forbidden booksPublications prohibited by authority
- forbidden groundArea one must avoid