as in traditional
based on customs usually handed down from a previous generation
even in this age of e-mail the prescriptive response to a wedding gift is a handwritten thank-you note
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of prescriptive
None are resolved in a prescriptive way.
—
Judy Berman, Time, 25 Sep. 2025
Last year’s veto set the stage for a different approach – convene experts, listen to companies and civil society, and try again with something less prescriptive.
—The Ai Insider, Interesting Engineering, 22 Sep. 2025
Workout Buddy is intentionally less prescriptive than the Running Coach on the latest Galaxy Watches.
—PC Magazine, 16 Sep. 2025
For the first time, a prescriptive hearing aid device made people envious.
—Bill Schiffmiller, Forbes.com, 25 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for prescriptive
Judy Berman, Time, 25 Sep. 2025
Last year’s veto set the stage for a different approach – convene experts, listen to companies and civil society, and try again with something less prescriptive.
—The Ai Insider, Interesting Engineering, 22 Sep. 2025
Workout Buddy is intentionally less prescriptive than the Running Coach on the latest Galaxy Watches.
—PC Magazine, 16 Sep. 2025
For the first time, a prescriptive hearing aid device made people envious.
—Bill Schiffmiller, Forbes.com, 25 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for prescriptive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prescriptive
Adjective
-
Current challenges Building Electric Road Systems (ERS) is significantly more expensive than traditional highway construction.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
8 Nov. 2025
-
Some suggest this is because climate change is interfering with the flowering and pollination of some of the animals’ traditional sources of food.—
Jessie Yeung,
CNN Money,
7 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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There was no customary surge in gas prices over the summer, and fuel costs began the most recent decline as autumn arrived.—
Washington Examiner Staff,
The Washington Examiner,
4 Nov. 2025
-
The closing is expected to happen during the first quarter of 2026, subject to certain conditions, including customary regulatory approvals and payment of the purchase price.—
David Moin,
Footwear News,
31 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The sector’s climate impact has made decarbonization a priority, and SAF is considered one of the most viable alternatives to conventional jet fuel.—
Melissa Fleur Afshar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Oct. 2025
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His own composer as usual, Amenabar here tends to underline the film’s shortcomings, rather than elevate its idiosyncrasies with an original score that’s too conventional by half.—
Dennis Harvey,
Variety,
31 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Prescriptive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prescriptive. Accessed 10 Nov. 2025.
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