prohibitively

IPA/prəˈhɪbətɪvli/
KK[prohˈɪbətɪvli]IPA/prəʊˈhɪbətɪvli/

prohibitively — adverb

1. at a cost so high that people cannot afford the purchase or activity in question

1.adverbB2
Definition

at a cost so high that people cannot afford the purchase or activity in question — for example, when rent is prohibitively expensive for a teacher, the teacher cannot afford to live there.

Example

Rent in downtown Seattle was prohibitively expensive for most young teachers.

collocation: prohibitively expensive

Cyrus wanted to study abroad, but found the tuition fees prohibitively high.

collocation: prohibitively high

Common collocations
  • prohibitively expensive
  • prohibitively high
  • prohibitively costly
  • priced prohibitively
Synonyms
  • excessively

    broader in scope; can describe any extreme degree, not just cost

  • outrageously

    more informal and emotional; implies the price is unreasonably or shockingly high

  • astronomically

    figurative and dramatic; suggests numbers that are unimaginably large

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

prohibitively + adjective (expensive / high / costly)

Usage Note

Almost always modifies adjectives or verbs related to cost, such as 'expensive', 'high', 'costly', and 'priced'. Rarely used outside financial or economic contexts.

Common Mistakes

Smoking is prohibitively in this building.
Smoking is prohibited in this building.
'prohibitively' means 'too expensively', not 'forbidden by rule'.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adverb/1

All three words describe something beyond a normal or acceptable level, but they differ in tone and scope. 'Excessively' is the most neutral and versatile — it can describe any extreme (excessively loud, excessively strict) and carries little emotional weight. 'Outrageously' adds a strong note of disapproval and is more informal; an outrageously priced meal suggests the speaker feels cheated or offended. 'Astronomically' is figurative and hyperbolic, often used when numbers or amounts are so large they seem unreal (astronomically high salaries, astronomically expensive tickets). For cost contexts specifically, 'prohibitively' differs from all three by foregrounding the consequence: the price doesn't just seem extreme — it actually prevents the person from buying or doing something. For example, a car may be 'astronomically expensive' but someone still buys it; if it is 'prohibitively expensive', the buyer is forced to walk away.

excessively ↗outrageously ↗astronomically ↗

Common collocations

Phrases

  • prohibitively expensive
  • prohibitively high
  • prohibitively costly
  • priced prohibitively

Etymology

LatinEnglish

Comes from Latin 'prohibēre', meaning 'to hold back or prevent'. The root breaks down into 'pro-' ('away, forward') and 'habēre' ('to have, hold'). Over time, Latin 'prohibitus' ('prevented') passed into English as 'prohibit' ('to forbid by law or rule'). The suffix '-ive' turned the verb into an adjective ('prohibitive'), and '-ly' turned that into an adverb. The modern meaning shifted from 'in a way that forbids' to 'at a cost that effectively prevents something'.