restrictive
adjective
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Restrictive covenants (that is, agreements) in real-estate deeds were once used to forbid the buyer from ever selling the property to anyone of another race. These are now illegal, though other kinds of restrictive covenants are very common; in some neighborhoods, they may even tell you what colors you can't paint your house. In grammar, a restrictive clause is one that limits the meaning of something that comes before it. In the sentence "That's the professor who I'm trying to avoid", "who I'm trying to avoid" is a restrictive clause, since it's what identifies the professor. But in the sentence "That's my History professor, who I'm trying to avoid", the same clause is nonrestrictive, since the professor has already been identified as "my History professor". There should always be a comma before a nonrestrictive clause, but not before a restrictive clause.
Examples of restrictive in a Sentence
Kristen Jordan Shamus, Freep.com, 5 Dec. 2025
The jeans are made using elastane for a stretchier fit that doesn't have the rigid, restrictive feel denim can carry.
—Clara McMahon, PEOPLE, 4 Dec. 2025
Terms of UsePrivacy Policy Terms of UsePrivacy Policy What has surprised me the most is how empowering abstinence has been—not in a restrictive way, but in a liberating, deeply personal way.
—Essence, 3 Dec. 2025
Trump has been vocal about wanting the neutral rate, which is the interest rate at which monetary policy is seen as neither accommodative nor restrictive, at about 0 percent.
—Suzanne Blake, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for restrictive
Cite this Entry
“Restrictive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/restrictive. Accessed 8 Dec. 2025.
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restrictive
adjective
Legal Definition
restrictive
adjective
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