prohibitive

American  

[proh-hib-i-tiv] / proʊˈhɪb ɪ tɪv /

Also prohibitory

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.

3. 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.

---

prohibitive British  

/ prəˈhɪbɪtɪv /

adjective

1. prohibiting or tending to prohibit

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

---

Other Word Forms

• prohibitiveness
  noun
• nonprohibitive
  adjective
• unprohibitive
  adjective
• nonprohibitively
  adverb
• prohibitively
  adverb
• unprohibitively
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of prohibitive

First recorded in 1400–50; from Medieval Latin prohibitīvus; see origin at prohibit, -ive

Explanation

That expensive Ferrari in the showroom? You may want it, but its price is prohibitive — which means the price is discouragingly high and likely to deter you from buying. Prohibitive originally referred to something (often a law) that prohibits or forbids something, but it came to mean conditions (often prices or taxes) so high or great they restrict or prevent something: "To some, the cost of child care is prohibitive." The stress is on the second syllable, just like the verb: pro-HIB-i-tive. If it's a matter of expense, a synonym is exorbitant.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

prohibitive

The researchers found that many leading classical simulation methods would face prohibitive runtimes when attempting the same task.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 30, 2026

That’s because freeing hydrogen from its bond with oxygen in water requires an extraordinary amount of energy — and expensive equipment — making it cost prohibitive.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026

But the cost for the company’s walkthroughs is actually far less prohibitive than their celebrity cachet might suggest.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 6, 2026

The pursuits of Fernandes and Tonali, both players who have been targeted by Tottenham's big-six rivals, shows that Spurs have increased the squad's wage ceiling, which under Levy had proved prohibitive to attracting elite players.

From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2026

But scholarships were few and far between, and the cost of private schooling was prohibitive for all but a privileged few.

From "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell

Related Words

• excessive
• exorbitant
• preposterous
• steep