Definition

Adverb: * To a prohibitive degree; to an extent that prevents or discourages use, purchase, or action due to excessive cost, difficulty, or restriction. It describes something so extreme (usually in price or effort) that it effectively acts as a prohibition.

Usage and Examples

The adverb "prohibitively" is used to modify adjectives, most commonly those related to cost, but also to difficulty or scarcity. It emphasizes an extreme, often insurmountable, level.

• Modifying adjectives of cost:
  • The land in the city center is prohibitively expensive for most developers.
  • After the tariffs were imposed, imported goods became prohibitively costly.
• Modifying adjectives of difficulty or effort:
  • The licensing process is prohibitively complex for small business owners.
  • The time required to complete the application is prohibitively long.

Advanced Usage

• "Prohibitively high": A common collocation used with nouns like "price," "cost," or "barrier."
  • The prohibitively high cost of childcare forces many parents to leave the workforce.
• Used with non-financial barriers: While often financial, it can describe any barrier that is effectively insurmountable.
  • The risk of failure was seen as prohibitively great.

Variants and Related Words

• Prohibitive (adjective): Serving to prohibit or forbid; so high or severe as to prevent use or purchase.
  • The prohibitive price of the concert tickets kept many fans away.
• Prohibit (verb): To formally forbid by law, rule, or other authority.
  • The law prohibits smoking in public buildings.

Synonyms

• Exorbitantly: (especially for cost) to an unreasonably high degree.
• Excessively: To a greater degree than is necessary, normal, or desirable.
• Impossibly: To a degree that makes something very difficult or not feasible.

Note: While "forbiddingly" is a closer morphological synonym, it is less common and often relates more to an intimidating manner than to cost.

Adverb

1. to a prohibitive degree
   • it is prohibitively expensive