prescriptive

adjective

pre·scrip·tive | \ pri-ˈskrip-tiv

Definition of prescriptive

1 : serving to prescribe prescriptive rules of usage

2 : acquired by, founded on, or determined by prescription or by long-standing custom

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Examples of prescriptive in a Sentence

Critics claim the new rules are too prescriptive. even in this age of e-mail the prescriptive response to a wedding gift is a handwritten thank-you note

Recent Examples on the Web

The guidance was so prescriptive that most states didn’t bother coming up with ideas. — The Editorial Board, WSJ, "Trump’s Health-Care Progress," 4 Nov. 2018 Most are content to offer a descriptive account of how morality works, remaining silent on whether morality can be prescriptive. — Julian Baggini, WSJ, "‘Science and the Good’ Review: The Anatomy of Morality," 15 Jan. 2019 But this was a different view of Paris, backward-looking, in some ways, to the 1980s, yes, but with less prescriptive results. — Nicole Phelps, Vogue, "The Top 12 Shows of Paris Fashion Week Fall 2019," 6 Mar. 2019 Rather than agencies deciding what laws mean in contested cases, Mr. Wallison insists, courts must decide, and in ways that compel Congress to pass statutes that are less vague and more prescriptive. — Yuval Levin, WSJ, "‘Judicial Fortitude’ Review: Time for Congress to Do Its Job," 2 Jan. 2019 Moreover, federal regulation doesn’t need to mirror the Europeans’. Other jurisdictions like Switzerland and Bermuda have lifted the best parts of the European approach and dropped the most prescriptive elements. — WSJ, "Protecting U.S. State-Regulated Insurance," 10 Dec. 2018 But Teigen, to her credit, is never one to bite her tongue when someone criticizes her appearance, especially over such dated prescriptive ideals. — Zoe Weiner, Glamour, "Chrissy Teigen Shut Down Someone Who Said Her Hair Makes Her Face 'Look Huge'," 25 Sep. 2018 His philosophical views of literature often seem to serve a narrow, somewhat prescriptive orthodoxy, but no matter. — Vivian Gornick, New York Times, "James Wood’s New Novel Confronts the Mystery of Other Minds," 14 June 2018 Colleges have complained that the credit-hour rule is too prescriptive. — New York Times, "With Legislation Stalled, DeVos Moves to Wield Deregulatory Power," 31 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'prescriptive.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.