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
Adding to this, insurance costs could become prohibitive enough to close the route in practical terms.
—
Flavio MacAu, Fortune, 31 Mar. 2026
Renting rooms in Edinburgh in August is extremely cost prohibitive and has risen exponentially of late, turning people off from attending the fest in recent years.
—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 30 Mar. 2026
The restaurant looked into installing a new filtration system, but the cost — upwards of $100,000 — was prohibitive, Liao said.
—Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 30 Mar. 2026
The cost of treatment can also be prohibitive for people who are uninsured or underinsured.
—Evan MacDonald, Houston Chronicle, 28 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for prohibitive
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Flavio MacAu, Fortune, 31 Mar. 2026
Renting rooms in Edinburgh in August is extremely cost prohibitive and has risen exponentially of late, turning people off from attending the fest in recent years.
—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 30 Mar. 2026
The restaurant looked into installing a new filtration system, but the cost — upwards of $100,000 — was prohibitive, Liao said.
—Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 30 Mar. 2026
The cost of treatment can also be prohibitive for people who are uninsured or underinsured.
—Evan MacDonald, Houston Chronicle, 28 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for prohibitive
Cite this Entry
“Prohibitive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prohibitive. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
prohibitive
adjective
pro·hib·i·tive
prō-ˈhib-ət-iv
: likely to discourage use or purchase
prohibitive prices
prohibitively
adverb
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
