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

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

Etymology

Origin of inhibitory

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

Example Sentences

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

From Science Daily

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

From Science Daily

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

From Los Angeles Times

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.

From Science Daily

Shirani's results indicate that the fact that the active catalytic subunit overrules its inhibitory components is what's important, not a structural change in the kinase itself.

From Science Daily