inhibitory

Sometimes in·hib·i·tive

[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 Word Forms

• interinhibitive adjective
• noninhibitive adjective
• noninhibitory adjective
• subinhibitory adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of inhibitory¹

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

Example Sentences

Interneurons, which help balance excitatory and inhibitory nerve signals, were also damaged.

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This adjustment reestablished normal communication with a group of inhibitory neurons in the centrolateral amygdala known as "regular firing neurons."

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Normal human consciousness is tied to inhibitory neurotransmitters in the central nervous system called gamma-aminobutyric acid, or GABA.

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They found that during sleep, both excitatory and inhibitory connections in the brain become weaker, but they do so asymmetrically, making inhibitory connections weaker than excitatory connections, which causes an increase in excitation.

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Digging deeper, she found that the tumor cells have a molecular imbalance: an increased amount of catalytic proteins exceeds the number of inhibitory ones that normally tamp down and localize the former.

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