prohibitive

C1 Topic:Describing Qualities

US /pɹəˈhɪbɪtɪv/ See IPA manual

Freq #68857

Meanings

1

adj
So high in price or cost that something is impossible to afford.

The cost of renting in the city centre is simply prohibitive.
2

adj
Tending to prevent or forbid something from happening.

The country has strict, prohibitive laws on gun ownership.
3

adj
Very strongly favoured to win.

She is the prohibitive favourite to win the election.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · so high in price or cost... extortionateprohibitory

Word family

Derived forms cost-prohibitivenonprohibitiveprohibitivelyprohibitivenessunprohibitive

Etymology

From Middle English prohibitif, prohibityve, from Medieval Latin prohibitīvus, from prohibit-, past-participle stem of Latin prohibēre. By surface analysis, prohibit + -ive.

prohibitif Middle English prohibitīvus la-med prohibeō Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# prohibitive

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C1
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** /pɹəˈhɪbɪtɪv/
**Frequency rank:** 68857

## Meanings
1. So high in price or cost that something is impossible to afford.
2. Tending to prevent or forbid something from happening.
3. Very strongly favoured to win.

## Examples
- The cost of renting in the city centre is simply prohibitive.
- The country has strict, prohibitive laws on gun ownership.
- She is the prohibitive favourite to win the election.

## Derived Forms
- cost-prohibitive
- nonprohibitive
- prohibitively
- prohibitiveness
- unprohibitive

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: prohibitif
- Root: prohibitīvus
- Root: prohibeō

## Etymology
From Middle English prohibitif, prohibityve, from Medieval Latin prohibitīvus, from prohibit-, past-participle stem of Latin prohibēre. By surface analysis, prohibit + -ive.

## AI Etymology
Prohibitive is from Middle English prohibitif, prohibityve, from Medieval Latin prohibitīvus, from prohibit-, past-participle stem of Latin prohibēre. By surface analysis, prohibit + -ive. In present-day use, it can mean so high in price or cost that something is impossible to afford, or tending to prevent or forbid something from happening. Derived formations include cost-prohibitive, nonprohibitive, prohibitively, prohibitiveness, and unprohibitive.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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