prescriptive

adjective

pri-ˈskrip-tiv How to pronounce prescriptive (audio)
Definition of prescriptivenext
as in traditional
based on customs usually handed down from a previous generation even in this age of e-mail the prescriptive response to a wedding gift is a handwritten thank-you note

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of prescriptive The same data show declining enthusiasm for many prescriptive pro-DEI proposals. — Scott M. Curran, Fortune, 26 Aug. 2026 Clubs had previously been provided with an implementation roadmap for a security baseline that was described in 2024 as non-prescriptive, but the 2026-27 rules introduce formal requirements and deadlines that clubs must meet. — Amelie Claydon, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2026 The designer’s favorite art pieces feel collected, considered, and personal rather than prescriptive. — Maria Sabella, Better Homes & Gardens, 3 Aug. 2026 Nilsson’s debut feature is a tender, unflinching portrait of self-performance, identity, and learning to exist as oneself in an often prescriptive world. — Zac Ntim, Deadline, 21 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for prescriptive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prescriptive
  1. traditional
  2. customary
  3. conventional
Adjective
  • Upon landing in Samarkand on Sunday night, Rubio was warmly embraced by Uzbekistan’s foreign minister, Bakhtiyor Saidov, while two women clad in elaborate gold-and-black traditional dresses presented him with a bouquet.
    — Reuters, NBC news, 20 Oct. 2026
  • In all these areas, the traditional aid system is falling short.
    — David Miliband, Time, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of traditional
Adjective
  • The cutback came soon after the country was hit by dozens of ballistic missiles, which took out power for 600,000 people in Kyiv, without America’s customary advance warnings.
    — The Week US, TheWeek, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Wallace plays Mia, a spoiled heiress who is sent by her grandfather to Palermo, Sicily, without money or her customary luxuries, to work as a real estate agent in the family business.
    — Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of customary
Adjective
  • Compared to conventional microscopes, the Airscope offers a complete upgrade in neural imaging.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Grid current passes through silicon carbide transistors that switch at high frequency before sending it through a small conventional transformer, preserving the essential electrical isolation between the grid and everything downstream.
    — Alex Pasternack, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of conventional

Browse Nearby Words

prescriptions
prescriptive
prescripts
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Cite this Entry

“Prescriptive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prescriptive. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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