Prohibitive
adjective
So high or difficult that it prevents people from doing something.
The cost of private healthcare can be prohibitive for many people.

Often appears as...
- prohibitive cost
- prohibitive price
adjective
Intended to stop something from happening.
Prohibitive laws were enacted to prevent alcohol consumption.

Often appears as...
- prohibitive laws
- prohibitive measures
Usage tips
Formal, Disapproving
Academic
adjective
So high or difficult that it prevents people from doing something.
The cost of private healthcare can be prohibitive for many people.

Often appears as...
- prohibitive cost
- prohibitive price
adjective
Intended to stop something from happening.
Prohibitive laws were enacted to prevent alcohol consumption.

Often appears as...
- prohibitive laws
- prohibitive measures
Usage tips
Formal, Disapproving
Academic
Definition 1 of 2

Financial Barrier
Indicates a price or cost is so high, it stops people from buying or doing something.

The prohibitive cost of the software kept small businesses from purchasing it.
Not Literal
Sometimes it's used to describe non-financial barriers, like time or skill.

The difficulty of the entrance exam is prohibitive for many students.
Discouraging
Can imply that people are discouraged from trying because something seems too hard or expensive.

The prohibitive level of training required made many reconsider pursuing that career.
Financial Barrier
Indicates a price or cost is so high, it stops people from buying or doing something.

The prohibitive cost of the software kept small businesses from purchasing it.
Not Literal
Sometimes it's used to describe non-financial barriers, like time or skill.

The difficulty of the entrance exam is prohibitive for many students.
Discouraging
Can imply that people are discouraged from trying because something seems too hard or expensive.

The prohibitive level of training required made many reconsider pursuing that career.
Financial Barrier
Indicates a price or cost is so high, it stops people from buying or doing something.

The prohibitive cost of the software kept small businesses from purchasing it.
Not Literal
Sometimes it's used to describe non-financial barriers, like time or skill.

The difficulty of the entrance exam is prohibitive for many students.
Discouraging
Can imply that people are discouraged from trying because something seems too hard or expensive.

The prohibitive level of training required made many reconsider pursuing that career.
Video examples
Seafood and Survival PIPE...
becoming scarce they were becoming altogether unavailable they were becoming exorbitantly expensive prohibitively expensive and I realized that it's really an opportunity and a burden that chefs have in that the cook has become the guiding hand of natural election in our world and it's the chefs
Video examples
Mining minerals from...
we take the water from the sea and we apply a pressure and this pressure forces the sea water through a membrane this takes energy producing clean water but we're also left with a concentrated salt solution or brine but the process is very expensive and it's cost prohibitive for
Video examples
The “myth” of the...
we couldn’t keep up with our emissions through natural methods, and technological solutions would be prohibitively expensive and require huge amounts of permanent storage. Instead, while we switch from coal, oil, and natural gas to clean energy and fuels, which will take time,
Video examples
Caring for maternal...
to travel up to five hours round trip to get prenatal care or for a facility of delivery for women with chronic health conditions or pregnancy complications a prohibitive distance from specialist means they go without the care that they need for women of color distance is not
Video examples
4 ways we can avoid a...
Because once we build the first few water recycling systems close to the sewage treatment plant, we have to build longer and longer pipe networks to get that water to where it needs to go. And that becomes prohibitive in terms of cost. What we're finding is
Video examples
Don't insist on English!...
exploded there are lots not to test of English and millions and millions of students do take these tests every year now you might think you and me those fees aren't fad they're okay but they are prohibitive to so many millions of poor
Video examples
Colonizing Mars PIPE...
produce greenhouse gases it would be prohibitively expensive to bring fossil fuel from Earth and even if it weren't it would take thousands of years to produce enough co2 to make a difference but there are more potent greenhouse
Video examples
Bridges should be...
The deep water means that foundations are prohibitively expensive. So this bridge floats. This is a floating, multispan suspension bridge. We've had floating bridges before, but nothing like this. It stands on floating pontoons
Video examples
Patricia Ryan: Don't...
take these tests every year. Now you might think, you and me, "Those fees aren't bad, they're okay," but they are prohibitive to so many millions of poor people. So immediately, we're rejecting them.
Video examples
The problem with the...
a prohibitively high price for almost half of Americans, and as many as nine out of ten defendants. If the defendant can’t pay, they may apply for a loan from a commercial bail bond company.
Video examples
Seafood and Survival PIPE...
becoming scarce they were becoming altogether unavailable they were becoming exorbitantly expensive prohibitively expensive and I realized that it's really an opportunity and a burden that chefs have in that the cook has become the guiding hand of natural election in our world and it's the chefs
Video examples
Mining minerals from...
we take the water from the sea and we apply a pressure and this pressure forces the sea water through a membrane this takes energy producing clean water but we're also left with a concentrated salt solution or brine but the process is very expensive and it's cost prohibitive for
Video examples
The “myth” of the...
we couldn’t keep up with our emissions through natural methods, and technological solutions would be prohibitively expensive and require huge amounts of permanent storage. Instead, while we switch from coal, oil, and natural gas to clean energy and fuels, which will take time,
Video examples
Caring for maternal...
to travel up to five hours round trip to get prenatal care or for a facility of delivery for women with chronic health conditions or pregnancy complications a prohibitive distance from specialist means they go without the care that they need for women of color distance is not
Video examples
4 ways we can avoid a...
Because once we build the first few water recycling systems close to the sewage treatment plant, we have to build longer and longer pipe networks to get that water to where it needs to go. And that becomes prohibitive in terms of cost. What we're finding is
Video examples
Don't insist on English!...
exploded there are lots not to test of English and millions and millions of students do take these tests every year now you might think you and me those fees aren't fad they're okay but they are prohibitive to so many millions of poor
Video examples
Colonizing Mars PIPE...
produce greenhouse gases it would be prohibitively expensive to bring fossil fuel from Earth and even if it weren't it would take thousands of years to produce enough co2 to make a difference but there are more potent greenhouse
Video examples
Bridges should be...
The deep water means that foundations are prohibitively expensive. So this bridge floats. This is a floating, multispan suspension bridge. We've had floating bridges before, but nothing like this. It stands on floating pontoons
Video examples
Patricia Ryan: Don't...
take these tests every year. Now you might think, you and me, "Those fees aren't bad, they're okay," but they are prohibitive to so many millions of poor people. So immediately, we're rejecting them.
Video examples
The problem with the...
a prohibitively high price for almost half of Americans, and as many as nine out of ten defendants. If the defendant can’t pay, they may apply for a loan from a commercial bail bond company.
Example 1 of 10
Quote examples
Greig Fraser
Australian Diplomat
Doing a 'Star Wars' TV show could be prohibitively expensive because 'Star Wars' requires a lot of prop building and a lot of character building, so we wanted to - with ILM's help - be able to make it a financially viable option to solve all the problems that you have with shooting a blue screen environment.

Quote examples
Robert Reich
American Economist
No company can be expected to build a nuclear reactor, an oil well, a coal mine, or anything else that's one hundred percent safe under all circumstances. The costs would be prohibitive. It's unreasonable to expect corporations to totally guard against small chances of every potential accident.

Quote examples
Shane Smith
Canadian Journalist
If you look at film, distribution is pre-bought. If you've paid for the distribution, you say, 'I have to make sure it's a film that gets enough butts in the seats.' I think that's the problem: It becomes prohibitively expensive, and you can't develop films for a smaller amount of money.

Quote examples
Kyle MacLachlan
American Actor
I've always enjoyed drinking wine, ever since I was in college. My appreciation really took off when I began to visit Napa. I was toying with an idea of making wine in Napa, but it's prohibitively expensive, and the competition is fierce.

Quote examples
Tom Hooper
British Director
The thing that fascinates me is that the way I came to film and television is extinct. Then there were gatekeepers, it was prohibitively expensive to make a film, to be a director you had to be an entrepreneur to raise money.

Quote examples
Jens Martin Skibsted
Danish Designer
The cost of building large airships can be prohibitive. The entry barrier is considerable and could be a show-stopper for large-scale projects.

Quote examples
John Kennedy
American Lawyer
The problem with EMMA is that it is cost prohibitive for the small investors who were supposed to benefit from the new transparency.

Quote examples
Nathan Deal
American Politician
As a physician, I know many doctors want to utilize new technology, but they find the cost prohibitive.

Quote examples
Caryl Chessman
American Celebrity
The price I have personally paid for these extra Sisyphean years has been prohibitive.

Quote examples
Jack Kilby
American Scientist
The number of parts that were required were just prohibitive.

Quote examples
Greig Fraser
Australian Diplomat
Doing a 'Star Wars' TV show could be prohibitively expensive because 'Star Wars' requires a lot of prop building and a lot of character building, so we wanted to - with ILM's help - be able to make it a financially viable option to solve all the problems that you have with shooting a blue screen environment.

Quote examples
Robert Reich
American Economist
No company can be expected to build a nuclear reactor, an oil well, a coal mine, or anything else that's one hundred percent safe under all circumstances. The costs would be prohibitive. It's unreasonable to expect corporations to totally guard against small chances of every potential accident.

Quote examples
Shane Smith
Canadian Journalist
If you look at film, distribution is pre-bought. If you've paid for the distribution, you say, 'I have to make sure it's a film that gets enough butts in the seats.' I think that's the problem: It becomes prohibitively expensive, and you can't develop films for a smaller amount of money.

Quote examples
Kyle MacLachlan
American Actor
I've always enjoyed drinking wine, ever since I was in college. My appreciation really took off when I began to visit Napa. I was toying with an idea of making wine in Napa, but it's prohibitively expensive, and the competition is fierce.

Quote examples
Tom Hooper
British Director
The thing that fascinates me is that the way I came to film and television is extinct. Then there were gatekeepers, it was prohibitively expensive to make a film, to be a director you had to be an entrepreneur to raise money.

Quote examples
Jens Martin Skibsted
Danish Designer
The cost of building large airships can be prohibitive. The entry barrier is considerable and could be a show-stopper for large-scale projects.

Quote examples
John Kennedy
American Lawyer
The problem with EMMA is that it is cost prohibitive for the small investors who were supposed to benefit from the new transparency.

Quote examples
Nathan Deal
American Politician
As a physician, I know many doctors want to utilize new technology, but they find the cost prohibitive.

Quote examples
Caryl Chessman
American Celebrity
The price I have personally paid for these extra Sisyphean years has been prohibitive.

Quote examples
Jack Kilby
American Scientist
The number of parts that were required were just prohibitive.

Example 1 of 10
WordUp Chrome Extension
As you browse the web instantly look up words you don’t know.
Get Chrome Extension