prohibitive
Americanadjective
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serving or tending to prohibit or forbid something.
We will discuss some of the discriminatory, prohibitive legislation that was undone by the Civil Rights Act.
-
sufficing to prevent the use, purchase, etc., of something.
prohibitive prices.
-
having so great a likelihood of success that others vying for the same thing are essentially prevented from succeeding.
Political analysts are largely in agreement over who the party’s prohibitive nominee is.
adjective
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prohibiting or tending to prohibit
-
(esp of prices) tending or designed to discourage sale or purchase
Other Word Forms
- nonprohibitive adjective
- nonprohibitively adverb
- prohibitively adverb
- prohibitiveness noun
- unprohibitive adjective
- unprohibitively adverb
Etymology
Origin of prohibitive
First recorded in 1400–50; from Medieval Latin prohibitīvus; prohibit, -ive
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Some small businesses find that the paperwork and legal costs make it prohibitive to use the first sale rule.
Although the cost of buying a Premier League club is prohibitive, even to most celebrities, the Championship offers a tempting opportunity.
From Barron's
But in a time of binge-watching, I didn’t find the length prohibitive.
From Los Angeles Times
But costs could be prohibitive for a continent with stagnant economic growth.
The e-bike incentive program was unique because it gave residents the opportunity to afford an alternative method of transportation that could otherwise be cost prohibitive, according to Jared Sanchez, policy director at CalBike.
From Los Angeles Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
