restrictive
adjective
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Restrictive covenants (that is, agreements) in real-estate deeds were once used to forbid the buyer from ever selling the property to anyone of another race. These are now illegal, though other kinds of restrictive covenants are very common; in some neighborhoods, they may even tell you what colors you can't paint your house. In grammar, a restrictive clause is one that limits the meaning of something that comes before it. In the sentence "That's the professor who I'm trying to avoid", "who I'm trying to avoid" is a restrictive clause, since it's what identifies the professor. But in the sentence "That's my History professor, who I'm trying to avoid", the same clause is nonrestrictive, since the professor has already been identified as "my History professor". There should always be a comma before a nonrestrictive clause, but not before a restrictive clause.
Examples of restrictive in a Sentence
Tess Kenny, Chicago Tribune, 5 Apr. 2026
The county changed its stance with new regulations in December that allowed ultralight access within certain guidelines, which pilots have claimed are overly-restrictive and cost-prohibitive for hobbyists who fly the relatively inexpensive aircraft.
—Jake Goodrick, Sacbee.com, 4 Apr. 2026
But this means that this form of energy is highly geographically restrictive on a large scale.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 Apr. 2026
Democratic gubernatorial candidates acknowledged state regulations on business and the environment have burdened farmers and pledged to roll back restrictive policies affecting agriculture.
—Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times, 2 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for restrictive
Cite this Entry
“Restrictive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/restrictive. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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restrictive
adjective
Legal Definition
restrictive
adjective
