restrictive

adjective

re·​stric·​tive ri-ˈstrik-tiv 

1

a

: of or relating to restriction

b

: serving or tending to restrict

restrictive regulations

2

: limiting the reference of a modified word or phrase

3

: prohibiting further negotiation

restrictive noun

restrictively adverb

restrictiveness noun

Did you know?

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

In the sentence “The book that you ordered is out of print,” “that you ordered” is a restrictive clause.

Recent Examples on the Web

The model works particularly well in markets with capital controls or restrictive gambling regulations. —Boaz Sobrado, Forbes.com, 30 Apr. 2025

Our lively, wide-ranging conversation spoke to Oberon’s stranger-than-fiction life, Hollywood's restrictive beauty standards and history of racial exclusion—and how they’re still felt today—and the price of hiding in plain sight. —Hazlitt, 30 Apr. 2025

Old Navy Mid-Rise Linen-Blend Midi Skirt Inspired by Jennifer Lawrence Lawrence ditched restrictive denim cuts for a breezy midi skirt earlier this month — and the look has been living in our minds rent-free ever since. —Averi Baudler, People.com, 29 Apr. 2025

Those ruses have spurred restrictive voting laws across the country, despite the failure over the years of anybody finding fraud happening beyond small and rare instances — and certainly not at the scale of deciding major elections. —Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1579, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing restrictive

• restrictive clause

Rhymes for restrictive

• addictive
• constrictive
• predictive
• vindictive
• fictive
• magnetostrictive

Kids Definition

restrictive

adjective

re·​stric·​tive ri-ˈstrik-tiv 

1

: serving or likely to restrict

2

: limiting the reference of a modified word or phrase

restrictive noun

restrictively adverb

restrictiveness noun

Legal Definition

restrictive

adjective

re·​stric·​tive ri-ˈstrik-tiv 

1

a

: of or relating to restriction

b

: serving or tending to restrict

2

: prohibiting further negotiation

restrictively adverb

restrictiveness noun