prohibitive

adjective

pro·​hib·​i·​tive prō-ˈhi-bə-tiv 

prə-

1

: tending to prohibit or restrain

2

: tending to preclude use or purchase

prohibitive costs

3

: almost certain to perform as predicted

a prohibitive favorite

prohibitively adverb

prohibitiveness noun

Examples of prohibitive in a Sentence

the prohibitive cost of rent

Recent Examples on the Web

Experiment faster without prohibitive costs. —David Henkin, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025

That’s due to a combination of cost-prohibitive music rights and clips borrowed from other films and TV series. —Will Harris, EW.com, 1 Sep. 2025

The literacy coach’s success at Central is undeniable, but expanding the program to include all the district’s elementary schools in the future would be cost-prohibitive, board Vice President Wilma Vazquez said. —Doug Ross, Chicago Tribune, 29 Aug. 2025

But while bamboo is suited to many global contexts, regulatory barriers are often prohibitive — especially in the West. —Faye Bradley, CNN Money, 28 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for prohibitive

• inhibitive

Kids Definition

prohibitive

adjective

pro·​hib·​i·​tive prō-ˈhib-ət-iv 

: likely to discourage use or purchase

prohibitive prices

prohibitively adverb