Meanings
present singular third person proscribes · participle present proscribing · participle past proscribed · past proscribed
- transitiveTo denounce.
The word ‘ain't’ is proscribed by many authorities.
1 more example
If Joseph Willet, the denounced and proscribed of 'prentices, had happened to be at home when his father's courtly guest presented himself before the Maypole door— [...] he would have contrived, by hook or crook, to dive to the very bottom of Mr. Chester's mystery, and to come at his purpose with as much certainty as though he had been his confidential adviser.
1841 February–November, Charles Dickens, “Barnaby Rudge. Chapter 13.”, in Master Humphrey’s Clock, volume III, London: Chapman & Hall, […], →OCLC, page 1Antonyms: recommend
Synonyms & antonyms
verbTo denounce.
More synonyms by meaning
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*per-der.?
- Proto-Indo-European*pér
- Proto-Indo-European*pró
- Proto-Indo-European*pro-
- Proto-Italic*pro-
- Latinprō-
- Proto-Indo-European*(s)ker-?
- Proto-Indo-European*(s)kreybʰ-
- Proto-Indo-European*(s)kréybʰeti
- Proto-Italic*skreiβō
- Latinscrībō
- Latinprōscrībō
- Middle Englishproscriben
- Englishproscribe
From Middle English proscriben, from Latin prōscrībō (“to proclaim, forbid, banish”).
More words from Middle English, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian забранявам, отричам
- забранявам (zabranjavam)forbid or prohibit
- отричам (otričam)denounce
- отхвърлям (othvărljam)denounce
- изгонвам (izgonvam)banish or exclude
- заточавам (zatočavam)banish or exclude
Catalan proscriure
- proscriureforbid or prohibit
Danish forbyde, bandlyse
- forbydeforbid or prohibit
- bandlysebanish or exclude
Dutch verbieden, afkeuren
- verbiedenforbid or prohibit
- afkeurendenounce
- afradendenounce
- verbiedendenounce
- verbannenbanish or exclude
- uitsluitenbanish or exclude
Estonian keelama
- keelamaforbid or prohibit
Finnish kieltää, kieltää
- kieltääforbid or prohibit
- kieltäädenounce
- eristääbanish or exclude
- syrjäyttääbanish or exclude
French interdire, proscrire
- interdireforbid or prohibit
- proscrireforbid or prohibit
- prohiberforbid or prohibit
- dénoncerdenounce
- déconseillerdenounce
- bannirbanish or exclude
- exclurebanish or exclude
German verbieten, verbieten
- verbietenforbid or prohibit
- verbietendenounce
- verbannenbanish or exclude
- ächtenbanish or exclude
Hungarian tilt, betilt
- tiltforbid or prohibit
- betiltforbid or prohibit
- megtiltforbid or prohibit
- eltiltforbid or prohibit
- helytelenítdenounce
- elmarasztaldenounce
- ellenjavalldenounce
- elítéldenounce
- kifogásoldenounce
- rosszalldenounce
- száműzbanish or exclude
Irish coisc
- coiscforbid or prohibit
Italian proscrivere
- proscrivereforbid or prohibit
Latin prohibeo, veto
- prohibeoforbid or prohibit
- vetoforbid or prohibit
- interdicoforbid or prohibit
Norwegian Bokmål forby, fraråde
- forbyforbid or prohibit
- frarådedenounce
- forbydenounce
- bannlysebanish or exclude
- forbannebanish or exclude
- utestengebanish or exclude
Portuguese proscrever, proibir
- proscreverforbid or prohibit
- proibirforbid or prohibit
- banirbanish or exclude
Romanian interzice
- interziceforbid or prohibit
Russian запреща́ть, запрети́ть
- запреща́ть (zapreščátʹ)forbid or prohibit
- запрети́ть (zapretítʹ)forbid or prohibit
- осужда́ть (osuždátʹ)denounce
- осуди́ть (osudítʹ)denounce
Spanish proscribir, proscribir
- proscribirforbid or prohibit
- proscribirdenounce
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with proscribe
Sounds the same
Cite this entry
proscribe. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/proscribe
“proscribe.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/proscribe. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “proscribe,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/proscribe.
Source: proscribe on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.