proscriptive

American  

[proh-skrip-tiv] / proʊˈskrɪp tɪv /

adjective

1. involving, imposing, or defining limits or prohibitions.

   We want the guidelines to be useful, broadly applicable, and not overly proscriptive and narrow.

   Rather than a proscriptive diet, in which the patient is limited to eating certain foods and measured portions, we encourage eating a wide range of foods in moderation.

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Other Word Forms

• nonproscriptive adjective
• nonproscriptively adverb
• proscriptively adverb
• unproscriptive adjective
• unproscriptively adverb

Etymology

Origin of proscriptive

First recorded in 1740–50; from Latin prōscript-, stem of prōscrībere “to publish in writing” ( proscribe ( def. ) ) + -ive ( def. )

Example Sentences

But the prohibitive costs and proscriptive laws sometimes mean there’s no choice at all.

From Slate • Oct. 3, 2024

Viewed this way, minding our p’s and q’s is less about proscriptive notions of correctness, and more about mindfulness, self-discovery and proper conduct.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 7, 2023

“You can be anyone you want to be, free from proscriptive constructs and sensory needs,” said Lucie Greene, the founder of Light Years, a futures and brand strategy firm.

From New York Times • Jan. 20, 2022

People have this sense that we're going to learn some kind of proscriptive technique to prevent events like this from happening and that's not really what you learn from these events.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 22, 2017

Attempts to make capital of the proscriptive measures.

From History of the Rise of the Huguenots Volume 2 by Baird, Henry Martyn

Related Words

• excessive
• exorbitant
• preposterous
• steep