inhibitory

American  

[in-hib-i-tawr-ee] / ɪnˈhɪb ɪˌtɔr i /

Sometimes inhibitive

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.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

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

Etymology

Origin of inhibitory

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

Example Sentences

By normalizing Grik4 gene activity in this region, they restored communication with inhibitory neurons in the centrolateral amygdala called regular firing neurons.

From Science Daily • Jun. 3, 2026

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

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 9, 2025

Instead, the only alteration they found was a loss of the inhibitory protein, providing more evidence that the amount of catalytic subunit relative to its regulatory components was a key factor in disease formation.

From Science Daily • Jun. 18, 2024

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.

From Science Daily • Jun. 18, 2024

It is sometimes useful in hysteria, which is essentially a lack of inhibitory power, as its nasty properties induce sufficient inhibitory power to render its readministration superfluous.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 2, Slice 7 "Arundel, Thomas" to "Athens" by Various