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prohibitive

prohibitive

19 7.4
So expensive that people cannot afford it
  • adjective
  • /prəˈhɪbɪtɪv/
translation icon : prohibitivo
  • The price of the new smartphone is so prohibitive that many customers can't afford it.
  • prohibitive cost
  • prohibitive legislation

It there's a ton of waste, the energy it takes to run it is prohibitive.

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Examples

  • The participants harshly denounced modern health care services and their prohibitive fee-for-service costs.

    Academic text (1995)
  • One of the most pressing issues stemming from the DFARS rule is the prohibitive costs that may fall on small businesses.

    Academic text (2017)
  • The cost would be prohibitive.

  • And the cost of care for the chronic patient has become prohibitive.

  • Such a study would be cost prohibitive and time-consuming.

    Academic text (2013)
  • The cost of a round-trip flight to a developing country can be prohibitive.

    Academic text (2008)
  • Mechanical control is popular and effective, but it can be cost prohibitive and may damage environmentally sensitive areas.

    Academic text (2004)
  • Because the DoD's arsenal outmatches any other, building a rival military is cost prohibitive.

    Academic text (2017)
  • For many families, the cost of higher education can be prohibitive, limiting their options.

  • The fees for the specialized courses are prohibitive, discouraging students from enrolling.

Synonyms

too expensive
vsprohibitive
74 2.0

Costs more money than someone can afford

describes a price level that actually stops people buying or acting
cost-prohibitive
vsprohibitive
2 6.8

Too expensive for most people to afford

is about price levels that stop people from doing something
prohibitory
vsprohibitive
7.9

So high or strict that people avoid it

focuses only on price being so high it prevents people

Antonyms

307 2.1

Not too expensive for most people to buy

302 2.2

A moderate amount or size that is not extreme

How Expensive

exorbitant
25 7.9
prohibitive
19 7.4
expensive
1.0
costly
64 1.7
pricey
  • Informal
54 4.4

Surface Forms

prohibitive positive
prohibitive comparative
prohibitive superlative

Morphology

prohibitive = prohibit (transparent) = prohibit + ive

The adjective is directly formed from the verb 'prohibit' with the productive suffix '-ive' and the sense 'so high as to prevent' is a straightforward extension of 'to prohibit'.

Etymology

The word prohibitive comes from Latin parts pro- and habere, which mean 'before' and 'to hold', and the related English word prohibit originally meant 'hold back' or 'forbid'. So a prohibitive price is one that 'holds you back' from buying something because it is too high.