prescriptive
adjective
pre·scrip·tive
pri-ˈskrip-tiv 
1
: serving to prescribe
prescriptive rules of usage
2
: acquired by, founded on, or determined by prescription or by long-standing custom
prescriptively
adverb
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
None of this is intended as a prescriptive sale guide for Wikipedia.
—
James Folta, Literary Hub, 26 Sep. 2025
None are resolved in a prescriptive way.
—Judy Berman, Time, 25 Sep. 2025
India, for example, is home to some of the largest AI talent and plans to release a deliberately non-prescriptive AI governance framework.
—The Ai Insider, Interesting Engineering, 22 Sep. 2025
Workout Buddy is intentionally less prescriptive than the Running Coach on the latest Galaxy Watches.
—PC Magazine, 16 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for prescriptive
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James Folta, Literary Hub, 26 Sep. 2025
None are resolved in a prescriptive way.
—Judy Berman, Time, 25 Sep. 2025
India, for example, is home to some of the largest AI talent and plans to release a deliberately non-prescriptive AI governance framework.
—The Ai Insider, Interesting Engineering, 22 Sep. 2025
Workout Buddy is intentionally less prescriptive than the Running Coach on the latest Galaxy Watches.
—PC Magazine, 16 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for prescriptive
Cite this Entry
“Prescriptive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prescriptive. Accessed 16 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLegal Definition
prescriptive
adjective
pre·scrip·tive
pri-ˈskrip-tiv
1
: serving to prescribe
prescriptive rules
2
: acquired by, founded on, or constituting prescription
a prescriptive right
a longer prescriptive period
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