prohibitive

adjective

pro·​hib·​i·​tive prō-ˈhi-bə-tiv 

prə-

1

: tending to prohibit or restrain

2

: tending to preclude use or purchase

prohibitive costs

3

: almost certain to perform as predicted

a prohibitive favorite

prohibitively adverb

prohibitiveness noun

Examples of prohibitive in a Sentence

the prohibitive cost of rent

Recent Examples on the Web

But the cost of ensuring extra energy capacity is prohibitive, and many countries are unprepared for worsening conditions, said Nicolas Fulghum, a senior analyst at Ember. —José María León Cabrera, New York Times, 30 Dec. 2024

The testing usually only covers a modicum of tests and doesn’t exhaustively test all possible variations (the time and cost would be enormous and likely prohibitive). —Lance Eliot, Forbes, 27 Dec. 2024

Despite boasting cutting-edge medical technologies and treatments, people often face prohibitive costs and inadequate coverage. —Isabela Raygoza, Billboard, 27 Dec. 2024

Emery has worked with the midfielder before, which has proven a factor in several of his and Monchi’s additions, but the cost of the 23-year-old would be prohibitive and requires Villa to be flexible on their spreadsheet. —Jacob Tanswell, The Athletic, 26 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

prohibitive

adjective

pro·​hib·​i·​tive prō-ˈhib-ət-iv 

: likely to discourage use or purchase

prohibitive prices

prohibitively adverb