prescriptive
adjective
pre·scrip·tive
pri-ˈskrip-tiv 
1
: serving to prescribe
prescriptive rules of usage
2
: acquired by, founded on, or determined by prescription or by long-standing custom
prescriptively
adverb
Examples of prescriptive in a Sentence
Critics claim the new rules are too prescriptive.
even in this age of e-mail the prescriptive response to a wedding gift is a handwritten thank-you note
Recent Examples on the Web
The pills scattered around the bathroom where she was found were not extensive or highly prescriptive.
—
Joy Williams, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025
Other brands offer less prescriptive test kits, including one that claims to determine your biological age and another that can purportedly provide insights on your body’s response to stress.
—Sara Braun, Sacbee.com, 17 Oct. 2025
None of this is intended as a prescriptive sale guide for Wikipedia.
—James Folta, Literary Hub, 26 Sep. 2025
None are resolved in a prescriptive way.
—Judy Berman, Time, 25 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for prescriptive
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Joy Williams, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025
Other brands offer less prescriptive test kits, including one that claims to determine your biological age and another that can purportedly provide insights on your body’s response to stress.
—Sara Braun, Sacbee.com, 17 Oct. 2025
None of this is intended as a prescriptive sale guide for Wikipedia.
—James Folta, Literary Hub, 26 Sep. 2025
None are resolved in a prescriptive way.
—Judy Berman, Time, 25 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for prescriptive
Cite this Entry
“Prescriptive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prescriptive. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLegal Definition
prescriptive
adjective
pre·scrip·tive
pri-ˈskrip-tiv
1
: serving to prescribe
prescriptive rules
2
: acquired by, founded on, or constituting prescription
a prescriptive right
a longer prescriptive period
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