prescriptive
adjective
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Definition of prescriptive
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Synonyms & Antonyms for prescriptive
Synonyms
classical, conventional, customary, traditional
Antonyms
nontraditional, unconventional, uncustomary, untraditional
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Examples of prescriptive in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The guidelines, while not prescriptive, offer a glimpse at the questions prosecutors could ask companies accused of wrongdoing. — Kristin Broughton, WSJ, "Justice Department Provides Blueprint for Companies on Compliance," 1 May 2019 At once erudite and colloquial, the book resists prescriptive judgments, teems with surprising juxtapositions, and evokes the contagious enthusiasm of a cool teacher. — Amos Barshad, The New Yorker, "Briefly Noted," 7 June 2018 The guidance was so prescriptive that most states didn’t bother coming up with ideas. — The Editorial Board, WSJ, "Trump’s Health-Care Progress," 4 Nov. 2018 Most are content to offer a descriptive account of how morality works, remaining silent on whether morality can be prescriptive. — Julian Baggini, WSJ, "‘Science and the Good’ Review: The Anatomy of Morality," 15 Jan. 2019 But this was a different view of Paris, backward-looking, in some ways, to the 1980s, yes, but with less prescriptive results. — Nicole Phelps, Vogue, "The Top 12 Shows of Paris Fashion Week Fall 2019," 6 Mar. 2019 Rather than agencies deciding what laws mean in contested cases, Mr. Wallison insists, courts must decide, and in ways that compel Congress to pass statutes that are less vague and more prescriptive. — Yuval Levin, WSJ, "‘Judicial Fortitude’ Review: Time for Congress to Do Its Job," 2 Jan. 2019 Moreover, federal regulation doesn’t need to mirror the Europeans’. Other jurisdictions like Switzerland and Bermuda have lifted the best parts of the European approach and dropped the most prescriptive elements. — WSJ, "Protecting U.S. State-Regulated Insurance," 10 Dec. 2018 But Teigen, to her credit, is never one to bite her tongue when someone criticizes her appearance, especially over such dated prescriptive ideals. — Zoe Weiner, Glamour, "Chrissy Teigen Shut Down Someone Who Said Her Hair Makes Her Face 'Look Huge'," 25 Sep. 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'prescriptive.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for prescriptive
prescriptive
adjective
English Language Learners Definition of prescriptive
See the full definition for prescriptive in the English Language Learners Dictionary
prescriptive
adjective
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