What does "restrictive" mean?

1. (limiting freedom) limiting what people can do or how they can behave. 2. (limiting movement) fitting too tightly or making it hard to move your body. 3. (grammar) describing a part of a sentence that is necessary to identify the person or thing you are talking about. 4. (a defining clause) a short way to say 'restrictive clause' or 'restrictive element'.

How do you use "restrictive"?

In English grammar, restrictive clauses are usually not set off by commas.

restrictive

adj. · n.

US //ɹiˈstɹɪktɪv// UK //ɹɪstɹˈɪktɪv// re·stric·tive

1 limiting freedom (adj.)
B2 Upper Intermediate

limiting what people can do or how they can behave.

imposing restrictions on liberty, action, or choice.

Example

The new laws are very restrictive and prevent people from traveling freely.

Example

The government faced criticism for its restrictive trade policies, which many argued would stifle innovation and discourage foreign investment.
- limiting
- constraining
- strict
2 limiting movement (adj.)
B2 Upper Intermediate

fitting too tightly or making it hard to move your body.

physically constraining or limiting the range of bodily motion.

Example

I found the formal suit very restrictive after wearing casual clothes all week.

Example

The athlete complained that the new uniform was too restrictive around the shoulders, affecting his performance during the race.
- tight
- confining
- loose
- flexible

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3 grammar (adj.)
C1 Advanced Academic Technical Science

describing a part of a sentence that is necessary to identify the person or thing you are talking about.

functioning to narrow the potential referents of a noun phrase; essential to the identity of the head noun.

Example

In the phrase 'the car that is red', the word 'that' starts a restrictive clause.

Example

The distinction between restrictive and non-restrictive relative clauses is crucial for correct punctuation, as the latter requires commas to indicate supplementary information.

Usage

In English grammar, restrictive clauses are usually not set off by commas.
- defining
- essential
- non restrictive
- parenthetical
4 a defining clause (n.)
C2 Proficiency Academic Technical Science

a short way to say 'restrictive clause' or 'restrictive element'.

a linguistic element, such as a relative clause, that functions restrictively.

Example

The teacher explained how to identify a restrictive in a complex sentence.

Example

The author’s frequent use of the restrictive without proper antecedent clarity led to several ambiguities in the technical manual.
- modifier

Origin

From Middle French restrictif. Morphologically restrict + -ive.