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

Synonyms of prescriptive

• traditional
• customary
• conventional

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

Users looking for more hands-on guidance around spending decisions may prefer a platform with a more prescriptive budgeting framework. — Nick Perry, USA Today, 16 June 2026

The notes were getting out of control and very prescriptive. — Mikey O'Connell, HollywoodReporter, 15 June 2026

The broader governance duties now reach further, but the prescriptive race-impact exam everyone is arguing about began, and for the moment remains, a life-insurance affair. — Dara-Abasi Ita, Forbes.com, 10 June 2026

The strongest properties employ skilled, adaptive practitioners who adjust to the guest in front of them rather than march through a rigid itinerary — wellness, the experts argue, should feel intuitive rather than prescriptive. — Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 23 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1663, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for prescriptive

• ascriptive
• descriptive

Legal 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