prohibitive

adjective

pro·​hib·​i·​tive prō-ˈhi-bə-tiv How to pronounce prohibitive (audio)
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The pieces were not insured, which is not uncommon for state collections because of the prohibitive costs, the Times reported, citing France’s culture ministry. Michael Dorgan, FOXNews.com, 22 Oct. 2025 For many families and vulnerable individuals, the cost could be prohibitive, potentially delaying or blocking access. Billal Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Oct. 2025 The founder of a gaming startup with fewer than 50,000 users—an example of a smaller operation that makes geolocation work in its budget—said the cost of the technology is not prohibitive to the operations of their company. Dan Bernstein, Sportico.com, 16 Oct. 2025 His one fear was that licensing the rights to the original series would be cost-prohibitive, given that they were owned by corporate behemoth Viacom. Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 16 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for prohibitive

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

Cite this Entry

“Prohibitive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prohibitive. Accessed 23 Oct. 2025.

Kids Definition

prohibitive

adjective
pro·​hib·​i·​tive prō-ˈhib-ət-iv How to pronounce prohibitive (audio)
: likely to discourage use or purchase
prohibitive prices
prohibitively adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on prohibitive

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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