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
But for most of the 64 women recorded in the camp's birth register this year, these costs are prohibitive.
—
Adie Vanessa Offiong, CNN, 29 Nov. 2023
But for ordinary folks like me and you, the costs of paying for an attorney to litigate a case involving a complex instance of identity theft are often prohibitive—especially considering that the theft itself can leave victims without savings or access to credit.
—Adam Singer, Forbes, 28 Nov. 2023
The problem is that past a certain size (roughly 8 meters wide) a monolithic, single-piece telescope mirror is extremely difficult to cast, polish, and use—building a structure just to support such an immense weight is prohibitive.
—Phil Plait, Scientific American, 23 Nov. 2023
Plus, the limited market for the specialized sensors makes prices prohibitive.
—IEEE Spectrum, 28 Sep. 2023
That’s despite the state having some of the most prohibitive gun laws in the country, so restrictive that some have been struck down by the federal courts.
—Hannah Wiley, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Sep. 2023
Despite the blatant lack of size diversity and prohibitive price points, the fashion industry deemed the first release successful.
—Shelcy Joseph, Essence, 10 Nov. 2023
Western media has devoted prohibitive attention to the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip precipitated by the Hamas regime’s support for a complex military-style operation explicitly designed to kill as many Israeli civilians as possible.
—Noah Rothman, National Review, 26 Oct. 2023
But in a scathing YouTube video posted Tuesday, Green argued the price is prohibitive for patients in lower-income countries.
—Lizzy Lawrence and Ed Silverman, STAT, 14 Sep. 2023
See More
Adie Vanessa Offiong, CNN, 29 Nov. 2023
But for ordinary folks like me and you, the costs of paying for an attorney to litigate a case involving a complex instance of identity theft are often prohibitive—especially considering that the theft itself can leave victims without savings or access to credit.
—Adam Singer, Forbes, 28 Nov. 2023
The problem is that past a certain size (roughly 8 meters wide) a monolithic, single-piece telescope mirror is extremely difficult to cast, polish, and use—building a structure just to support such an immense weight is prohibitive.
—Phil Plait, Scientific American, 23 Nov. 2023
Plus, the limited market for the specialized sensors makes prices prohibitive.
—IEEE Spectrum, 28 Sep. 2023
That’s despite the state having some of the most prohibitive gun laws in the country, so restrictive that some have been struck down by the federal courts.
—Hannah Wiley, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Sep. 2023
Despite the blatant lack of size diversity and prohibitive price points, the fashion industry deemed the first release successful.
—Shelcy Joseph, Essence, 10 Nov. 2023
Western media has devoted prohibitive attention to the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip precipitated by the Hamas regime’s support for a complex military-style operation explicitly designed to kill as many Israeli civilians as possible.
—Noah Rothman, National Review, 26 Oct. 2023
But in a scathing YouTube video posted Tuesday, Green argued the price is prohibitive for patients in lower-income countries.
—Lizzy Lawrence and Ed Silverman, STAT, 14 Sep. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'prohibitive.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Time Traveler
The first known use of prohibitive was
in the 15th century
Dictionary Entries Near prohibitive
Cite this Entry
“Prohibitive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prohibitive. Accessed 7 Dec. 2023.
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Kids Definition
prohibitive
adjective
pro·hib·i·tive
prō-ˈhib-ət-iv
: likely to discourage use or purchase
prohibitive prices
prohibitively
adverb
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