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
Etymology
Origin of restrictive
1375–1425; late Middle English < Middle French restrictif < Latin restrict ( us ) ( see restrict) + Middle French -if -ive
Explanation
Restrictive is an adjective that describes something that keeps people within certain boundaries. A household where you aren't allowed to play video-games, watch TV, or eat junk food is restrictive. If you noticed that restrictive is wrapped around the word strict, you're on to something. Strict comes from the Latin stringere, and you can probably guess what that means, right? Well, not "string," actually, but close: "to bind tight," either with string or rope or whatever does the job. The kids in a restrictive household are kept from doing so many things they might as well be tied up.
Vocabulary lists containing restrictive
"Women in Aviation," Vocabulary from the informational text
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Lesson 4
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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 Law Commission report in 2022 concluded that these marriage laws, which date back to the 18th and 19th Centuries, were "complicated, inefficient, unfair and needlessly restrictive".
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
Still, the American Chamber of Commerce for Brazil recently warned that Washington's measure places Brazil among countries "facing the most restrictive conditions for access to the US market," affecting more than $11 billion in exports.
From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 2026
In a new study published in Physical Review Letters, they found that one of the postulates used in the 2021 analysis was more restrictive than necessary.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 13, 2026
Some estimate that at 2.25% now, the OCR is around 75 basis points below a neutral setting that is neither restrictive nor stimulative for the economy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 3, 2026
The choice between that and which, according to the rule, is simple: nonrestrictive relative clauses take which; restrictive relative clauses take that.
From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker
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.
