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

Much harder than his Democratic rival and the prohibitive front-runner, Xavier Becerra. — Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2026

Unless authentication and security technologies keep pace, the cost of proving that people and their claims are genuine will eventually become prohibitive. — Joao Gomes, Fortune, 2 Oct. 2026

The prohibitive costs of designer dorms, of course, mean that wealthy students are at an advantage. — Alexis Benveniste, Architectural Digest, 28 Sep. 2026

The measure is designed not to eliminate environmental protections but to counter the bureaucratic delays and lengthy lawsuits that slow development projects in the state and drive up construction costs to often prohibitive levels, backers say. — Andrew Graham, Sacbee.com, 28 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for prohibitive

• inhibitive

Kids Definition

prohibitive

adjective

pro·​hib·​i·​tive prō-ˈhib-ət-iv 

: likely to discourage use or purchase

prohibitive prices

prohibitively adverb