What does forborne mean?
Forborne is the past participle of the verb forbear, meaning to have deliberately held back from doing or saying something. To say that someone 'has forborne' is to acknowledge an act of conscious self-restraint — declining to retaliate against an insult, withholding criticism, or patiently tolerating a provocation. The word belongs chiefly to formal and literary English; it surfaces in legal writing, classical literature, and religious texts far more often than in casual conversation. Its connotation is generally positive, suggesting patience, dignity, or magnanimity, since the restraint implied is usually voluntary and often difficult. Closely related forms include the verb 'forbear', its present-participle adjective 'forbearing', and the noun 'forbearance', which names the quality of patient self-control itself. Though rare today, 'forborne' remains useful precisely because it expresses a nuanced idea — principled restraint rather than mere inaction — that ordinary verbs like 'stopped' or 'avoided' do not fully capture.
verb (past participle)Forborne is the past participle of the verb 'forbear', meaning to have deliberately refrained or abstained from doing something, especially from expressing a reaction or taking an action one might otherwise have taken.
- To have refrained or abstained from doing something, especially voluntarily and often with effort or patience.
- To have been patient or tolerant in enduring something without retaliation or complaint.
"She had forborne from criticizing his work until she could no longer stay silent."
"Though provoked repeatedly, he had forborne from answering in kind."
"The judge noted that the witness had forborne from interrupting despite the provocation."
Forborne isn't a typo of 'forbidden' — it's what you've done every time you bit your tongue and said nothing.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of forborne
Forborne derives from the Old English verb forberan ('to refrain from'), formed from the prefix for- combined with beran, the ancient Germanic verb 'to bear' or 'carry'. The same root 'beran' gave English 'bear', 'birth', and 'bairn', making 'forborne' a distant cousin of these common words. The verb has been part of English since before the Norman Conquest, and its past participle 'forborne' has carried the sense of voluntary restraint into modern formal usage.
Related word forms
How forborne is actually used
Formal and somewhat literary in register; 'forborne' appears mainly in written English, legal language, and older literature rather than everyday conversation. It carries a connotation of deliberate self-restraint, patience, or magnanimity — the restraint is typically portrayed as virtuous or effortful rather than reluctant.
Easily confused with forborne
'Forbidden' means something is prohibited by an authority, whereas 'forborne' means one has voluntarily chosen to refrain from doing something.