proscriptive
- adjective
- /prəˈskrɪptɪv/
- Formal
- The school implemented proscriptive rules to prevent bullying and protect students.
Examples
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Proscriptive groups include most fundamentalist and evangelical Protestant churches, as well as neo-Protestant, sectarian groups (e.g., Mormons or Latter Day Saints).
Academic text (2008) -
The government introduced proscriptive measures to limit the activities of extremist groups.
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By their very nature, they raise questions about the extent to which they are reactive, proscriptive, or descriptive.
Academic text (2018) -
Historical records show that proscriptive laws were often used to silence dissenting voices during the regime.
Synonyms
Limiting people's freedom to speak or act
Supporting rules that keep certain people from joining a group
Antonyms
How Punitive
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
Proscriptive comes from the Latin parts pro- and scribere, where scribere means 'to write' and the same root appears in scribe and script. In the past, rulers would 'write down' the names of people to be banned or punished, so proscriptive means 'officially banning or excluding' people or groups, often for political reasons.