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
• noninhibitory
  adjective
• interinhibitive
  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

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 • Jun. 18, 2024

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

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

From Psychotherapy by Walsh, James J. (James Joseph)