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
That will require the United States to offer a concrete alternative, one that is focused on transparency and choice, to more prescriptive regulations, such as the EU’s restrictions on AI applications that do not comply with extensive EU rules.
—
Michael C. Horowitz, Foreign Affairs, 18 Apr. 2025
The most viral dating content tends to be prescriptive and alarmist.
—Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 3 June 2025
Other groups, such as the virtual Slow AF Run Club, suggest a less prescriptive approach: Choose a run interval that ends before your legs get tired.
—The New York Times, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 May 2025
With surgery, blood thinners, and other prescriptive measures, Nixon recovered and lived another two decades but succumbed to a stroke in 1994.
—Barbara A. Perry, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for prescriptive
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Michael C. Horowitz, Foreign Affairs, 18 Apr. 2025
The most viral dating content tends to be prescriptive and alarmist.
—Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 3 June 2025
Other groups, such as the virtual Slow AF Run Club, suggest a less prescriptive approach: Choose a run interval that ends before your legs get tired.
—The New York Times, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 May 2025
With surgery, blood thinners, and other prescriptive measures, Nixon recovered and lived another two decades but succumbed to a stroke in 1994.
—Barbara A. Perry, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 May 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 5 Jul. 2025.
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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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