proscribe
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to denounce or condemn (a thing) as dangerous or harmful; prohibit.
- Synonyms:
- repudiate, disapprove, censure
-
to put outside the protection of the law; outlaw.
-
to banish or exile.
-
to announce the name of (a person) as condemned to death and subject to confiscation of property.
verb
-
to condemn or prohibit
-
to outlaw; banish; exile
-
(in ancient Rome) to outlaw (a citizen) by posting his name in public
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of proscribe
1375–1425; late Middle English < Latin prōscrībere to publish in writing, confiscate, outlaw. See pro- 1, prescribe
Explanation
To proscribe something is to forbid or prohibit it, as a school principal might proscribe the use of cell phones in class. Proscribe sounds similar to the word prescribe, but be careful: these words are essentially opposite in meaning. While proscribe means forbid, prescribe is used when a doctor recommends a medicine or remedy. Of course, if you want an excuse for not following your doctor’s orders, you could say you were confused about the meaning of these two words — but that would be lying, which is proscribed by most people’s value systems. And it would also be bad for your health.
Vocabulary lists containing proscribe
300 Most Difficult "SAT" Words
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
A final deal should proscribe all tolls, mines and forced routes, restoring unrestricted free passage.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 6, 2026
The judge said the Supreme Court ruling on affirmative action “certainly does not proscribe any particular classroom speech, or relate at all to curricular choices.”
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 21, 2026
The government moved to proscribe the group under anti-terror laws after the group claimed responsibility for the June incident.
From BBC • Aug. 3, 2025
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper called the incident "disgraceful" when announcing her decision to proscribe the group.
From BBC • Jun. 24, 2025
My blood boils, when I think, that they have dared, in the face of nations, to proscribe without trial the thousands of Frenchmen, who are marching with us: is this known to the army?"—"
From Memoirs of the Private Life, Return, and Reign of Napoleon in 1815, Vol. I by Fleury de Chaboulon, Pierre Alexandre Édouard, baron
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
