prohibitive

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

Examples of prohibitive in a Sentence

the prohibitive cost of rent

Recent Examples on the Web

Even if parents can find child care, its high cost can be prohibitive, sometimes leading to young parents with low-paying jobs leaving the workforce. —Beth Kania-Gosche, The Conversation, 19 Mar. 2026

In heavily Democratic Illinois, where the last Republican elected to the Senate was Mark Kirk in 2010 and the GOP’s last statewide victory came in 2014, the Democratic nominee is the prohibitive favorite in November to replace Durbin following a 30-year tenure in the Senate. —Dan Petrella, Chicago Tribune, 18 Mar. 2026

Not to mention, the marketing costs of big-budget films can be prohibitive. —Sarah Whitten, CNBC, 14 Mar. 2026

Losing these traits and evolving ocean adaptations again might present a prohibitive cost of time and energy. —Andrew Coletti, Popular Science, 12 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

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