restrictive
restrictive Lexical Profile
restrictive Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Imposing limitations on someone's activities, freedom, or movement; confining.
"Many employees felt the company's new dress code was overly restrictive."
(of a relative clause or modifier) Limiting the reference of a noun or noun phrase to a specific subset, and therefore essential to the meaning of the sentence.
"In the sentence 'The book that I borrowed is overdue,' the clause 'that I borrowed' is restrictive."
• noun
A word, particle, or grammatical construction that limits the reference or scope of another element in a sentence.
"In English grammar, adverbs such as 'only' and 'just' frequently function as restrictives."
Word Nuance & Usage
In grammar, a 'restrictive' clause is essential to the sentence's core meaning and is not set off by commas, whereas a 'nonrestrictive' clause provides supplementary information and requires commas.
• Rhymes for restrictive
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the 15th century from Middle French restrictif, from Medieval Latin restrictivus, derived from the past participle stem of Latin restringere ('to bind back, confine, or check').