prohibitive

[ proh-hib-i-tiv ]
See synonyms for prohibitive on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. serving or tending to prohibit or forbid something: We will discuss some of the discriminatory, prohibitive legislation that was undone by the Civil Rights Act.

  2. sufficing to prevent the use, purchase, etc., of something: prohibitive prices.

  1. having so great a likelihood of success that others vying for the same thing are essentially prevented from succeeding: Political analysts are largely in agreement over who the party’s prohibitive nominee is.

Origin of prohibitive

1
First recorded in 1400–50; from Medieval Latin prohibitīvus; see origin at prohibit, -ive
  • Also pro·hib·i·to·ry [proh-hib-i-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee] /proʊˈhɪb ɪˌtɔr i, -ˌtoʊr i/ .

Other words from prohibitive

  • pro·hib·i·tive·ly, adverb
  • pro·hib·i·tive·ness, noun
  • non·pro·hib·i·tive, adjective
  • non·pro·hib·i·tive·ly, adverb
  • un·pro·hib·i·tive, adjective
  • un·pro·hib·i·tive·ly, adverb

Words Nearby prohibitive

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use prohibitive in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for prohibitive

prohibitive

less commonly prohibitory (prəˈhɪbɪtərɪ, -trɪ)

/ (prəˈhɪbɪtɪv) /


adjective
  1. prohibiting or tending to prohibit

  2. (esp of prices) tending or designed to discourage sale or purchase

Derived forms of prohibitive

  • prohibitively, adverb
  • prohibitiveness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012