restrictive
adjective
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Restrictive covenants (that is, agreements) in real-estate deeds were once used to forbid the buyer from ever selling the property to anyone of another race. These are now illegal, though other kinds of restrictive covenants are very common; in some neighborhoods, they may even tell you what colors you can't paint your house. In grammar, a restrictive clause is one that limits the meaning of something that comes before it. In the sentence "That's the professor who I'm trying to avoid", "who I'm trying to avoid" is a restrictive clause, since it's what identifies the professor. But in the sentence "That's my History professor, who I'm trying to avoid", the same clause is nonrestrictive, since the professor has already been identified as "my History professor". There should always be a comma before a nonrestrictive clause, but not before a restrictive clause.
Examples of restrictive in a Sentence
Max Zahn, ABC News, 16 Aug. 2025
As long as Arteta keeps the system adaptable, a direct centre-forward should be transformative rather than restrictive.
—Sukhman Singh, New York Times, 15 Aug. 2025
To exacerbate the situation, the enforcement of the decrees and laws has been arbitrary, with the authorities going above and beyond the restrictive provisions, thus adding to the suffering of women and girls in the country.
—Dr. Ewelina U. Ochab, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2025
Nationally, there have been discussions about how restrictive police pursuit policies should be.
—Jack Albright, jsonline.com, 9 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for restrictive
Cite this Entry
“Restrictive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/restrictive. Accessed 19 Aug. 2025.
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restrictive
adjective
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restrictive
adjective
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