prescriptive

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prescriptive

/pɹəˈskɹɪptɪv/
/pɹiˈskɹɪptɪv/

Rhymes with -ɪptɪv

Where it comes from

From Latin praescriptivus (“relating to a legal exception”), from praescript- (“directed in writing”), from the verb praescribere.

adjective more prescriptive · most prescriptive · præscriptive · praescriptive

Of or pertaining to prescribing or enjoining, especially an action or behavior based on a norm or standard. For one thing, spoken language tends to be less subjected to prescriptive pressures than written language, and hence is a less artificial medium of com- munication (written language is often a kind of 'censored' version of spoken language). [...]
Similar: normative · Opposite: descriptive, proscriptive, nonprescriptive

Translations

Every language

adj of or pertaining to prescribing or enjoining, especially an action or behavior based on a norm or standard

Español	prescriptivo
日本語	規範的な kihanteki na
Français	normatif
Deutsch	normgebunden, durch Vorgaben diktiert, vorschreibend
Română	prescriptiv
Русский	предпи́сывающий predpísyvajuščij, нормати́вный normatívnyj

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MLA

"prescriptive." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/prescriptive. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

prescriptive. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/prescriptive

Chicago

"prescriptive." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/prescriptive.

BibTeX

@misc{prescriptive_2026,
  title = {prescriptive},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/prescriptive},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}