inhibitory

[ in-hib-i-tawr-ee ]

adjective

1. acting to restrain, hinder, arrest, check, or prohibit an action, impulse, etc.:

   These substances are strongly inhibitory for the growth of mycoplasmas and some protozoa.

   Children with weak inhibitory and attentional resources may have great difficulty resisting the influence of marketing.

Other Words From

• in·ter·in·hib·i·tive adjective
• non·in·hib·i·tive adjective
• non·in·hib·i·to·ry adjective
• sub·in·hib·i·to·ry adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of inhibitory¹

First recorded in 1490–1500; inhibit ( def ) + -ory ¹( def )

Example Sentences

As discussed above, revealing outbreak location information is likely to inhibit business owners and other individuals from being forthcoming when reporting outbreaks and responding to contact tracing information requests.

From Voice of San Diego

So, there’s this psychology literature that suggests possibly something like inhibiting attention or working memory, but it could also be something like reducing the effort of workers because they don’t enjoy being put in noisy working conditions.

From Freakonomics

Wind shear “doesn’t seem to have stopped a lot of storms from forming this year,” Emanuel says, “but it inhibits them from getting too intense.”

From Science News

Before the pandemic hit, scientists already knew that warm weather conditions inhibit the spread of influenza, so it only makes sense that people initially assumed the novel coronavirus may behave the same way.

From Popular-Science

Superconductors and magnetic fields are known to clash — strong magnetic fields inhibit superconductivity.

From Science News

To prevent intruders or extruders from withdrawing his mind from the text, he exercises the Inhibitory function of the Attention.

From Project Gutenberg

My quality is sensuous and ruled by warm impulses; hers was discriminating and essentially inhibitory.

From Project Gutenberg

In such cases the preventive (inhibitory) influence of certain ingoing impulses is but too obvious.

From Project Gutenberg

This direct inhibitory effect of the unequal distribution of wealth is seconded by an indirect effect tending to the same result.

From Project Gutenberg

Nor must it be thought that the inhibitory faculty can act only in slowing the heart.

From Project Gutenberg