What does prohibitive mean?
Prohibitive means so restrictive that it effectively forbids an activity, or so expensive that it prevents people from undertaking it. The word is commonly used with rules, regulations, restrictions, prices, and costs. "Prohibitive regulations" may make an activity illegal or practically impossible, while a "prohibitive cost" can discourage participation even when no formal ban exists. The adjective has a formal tone and often conveys that the restriction or expense is severe enough to determine behavior. In discussions of housing, travel, education, and commerce, it describes barriers that are difficult or impossible to overcome. Although it shares its root with "prohibit" and "prohibition," prohibitive is specifically an adjective describing something that has a forbidding or limiting effect.
adjectiveTending to forbid or prohibit something; strongly restrictive. In economic contexts, prohibitive means so high in cost as to effectively prevent a purchase or activity.
- Tending to prohibit or forbid; strongly restrictive.
- So high in cost as to effectively prevent an action or purchase.
"The new regulations imposed prohibitive restrictions on industrial expansion."
"The council rejected the proposal because its requirements would be prohibitive for small businesses."
"The insurance costs were prohibitive, so they continued to drive the older car."
A price can be affordable on paper yet still be prohibitive once taxes, insurance, and maintenance are added.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does prohibitive come from?
The word comes through French from the Latin "prohibere," formed from the prefix "pro-" meaning "before" or "in front of" and "habere," meaning "to hold." The underlying sense was to hold something back or keep someone from doing something. English developed the noun "prohibition" and the verb "prohibit" from the same Latin source, while the adjective "prohibitive" came to emphasize a forbidding or excessively costly quality.
Related word forms
How prohibitive is actually used
The adjective is formal and especially common in legal, regulatory, and economic contexts. It can describe rules or restrictions directly, as in "prohibitive regulations," or prices and costs that are too high to make something practical.
Easily confused with prohibitive
Both words mean tending to forbid something, but prohibitive is much more common and is especially used in legal and economic contexts.