restrictive
Americanadjective
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tending or serving to restrict.
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of the nature of a restriction.
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expressing or implying restriction or limitation of application, as terms, expressions, etc.
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Grammar. limiting the meaning of a modified element.
a restrictive adjective.
adjective
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restricting or tending to restrict
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grammar denoting a relative clause or phrase that restricts the number of possible referents of its antecedent. The relative clause in Americans who live in New York is restrictive; the relative clause in Americans, who are generally extrovert , is nonrestrictive
Other Word Forms
- restrictively adverb
- restrictiveness noun
- unrestrictive adjective
- unrestrictively adverb
Etymology
Origin of restrictive
1375–1425; late Middle English < Middle French restrictif < Latin restrict ( us ) ( restrict ) + Middle French -if -ive
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.
Inside the Fed, the mood has turned hawkish, indicating a bias toward more restrictive monetary policy.
From Barron's
Policymakers emphasized the need for more evidence that inflation is moving sustainably toward the bank’s target and acknowledged that monetary policy may need to remain restrictive for some time if price pressures fail to cool.
From Barron's
Policymakers emphasized the need for more evidence that inflation is moving sustainably toward the bank’s target and acknowledged that monetary policy may need to remain restrictive for some time if price pressures fail to cool.
From Barron's
According to Kelley, the requirement for a trailing price/sales ratio below 1.5 is ”pretty restrictive,” and if applied to the S&P 500 would remove about two-thirds of the stocks.
From MarketWatch
Critics say this definition would be too restrictive and instead call for a more flexible measure, like Germany's Merz, who calls for "Made with Europe" not "Made in Europe".
From Barron's
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.
