prohibitive

1 of 2

adjective

pro·​hib·​i·​tive prō-ˈhi-bə-tiv 

prə-

1

: tending to prohibit or restrain

2

: tending to preclude use or purchase

prohibitive costs

3

: almost certain to perform as predicted

a prohibitive favorite

prohibitively adverb

prohibitiveness noun

prohibitiveness

2 of 2

noun

pro·​hib·​i·​tive·​ness

-ivnə̇s

plural -es

: the quality or state of being prohibitive

Examples of prohibitive in a Sentence

Adjective

the prohibitive cost of rent

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Cost comes up first almost every time, and it's usually miscalculated rather than genuinely prohibitive. — Benjamin Faes, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026

The cost for any government to manage so much territory is prohibitive. — Gerry Hadden, Christian Science Monitor, 27 July 2026

Because the knives’ large blades caused particularly bloody and gruesome injuries, many state legislatures banned them or imposed prohibitive taxes, the 7th Circuit panel said in its 2-1 decision. — Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 26 July 2026

Antonetti insisted that taking on salary would not be prohibitive. — Zack Meisel, New York Times, 24 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for prohibitive

• inhibitive

Kids Definition

prohibitive

adjective

pro·​hib·​i·​tive prō-ˈhib-ət-iv 

: likely to discourage use or purchase

prohibitive prices

prohibitively adverb