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
George Caulkin, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025
OpenAI will allow mature content for ChatGPT users who verify their age on the platform starting in December, Altman said, after the chatbot was made restrictive for users in mental distress.
—James Powel, USA Today, 16 Oct. 2025
The strict time constraints and what triggers the clock are also more restrictive in Colorado than in other states, noted Perczak.
—Sponsored Content, Denver Post, 16 Oct. 2025
Less restrictive and more cost-effective storage options can be used for debris with low fuel content.
—Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 15 Oct. 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 21 Oct. 2025.
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restrictive
adjective
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restrictive
adjective
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