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View synonyms for

prescriptive

[pri-skrip-tiv]

adjective

  1. that prescribes; giving directions or injunctions.

    a prescriptive letter from an anxious father.

  2. depending on or arising from effective legal prescription, as a right or title established by a long unchallenged tenure.



prescriptive

/ ɪˈɪɪ /

adjective

  1. making or giving directions, rules, or injunctions

  2. sanctioned by long-standing usage or custom

  3. derived from or based upon legal prescription

    a prescriptive title

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Other Word Forms

  • prescriptively adverb
  • prescriptiveness noun
  • nonprescriptive adjective
  • ˈپԱ noun
  • ˈپ adverb
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Word History and Origins

Origin of prescriptive1

First recorded in 1740–50; prescript + -ive, modeled on descriptive, destructive, etc.
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Matt feels it's easier for men his height to meet people offline, explaining that meeting someone in person, through mutual friends, for example, can mean a less prescriptive approach.

From

We believe the California proposal’s current emphasis on highly prescriptive vegetation removal, instead of on maintenance, is overly simplistic.

From

To some extent, the powers of the new oversight bodies are limited by prescriptive language in the measures themselves.

From

While sophisticated fintech solutions can streamline processes, they often approach social support with rigid, prescriptive frameworks that fundamentally misunderstand the complexity of human need.

From

Environmental films that are pedantic, prescriptive, or hold audiences by the collar to make them feel bad do more disservice than good, he says.

From

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prescriptionprescriptive grammar