Meanings
comparative more prescriptive · superlative most prescriptive · alternative præscriptive · alternative 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). [...]
1988, Andrew Radford, Transformational Grammar, Cambridge: University Press, →ISBN, page 8Synonyms: normative · Antonyms: descriptive, proscriptive, nonprescriptive
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiveOf or pertaining to prescribing or enjoining, especially an action or behavior based on a norm or standard.
More synonyms by meaning
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latinpraescriptivus“relating to a legal exception”
- Englishprescriptive
From Latin praescriptivus (“relating to a legal exception”), from praescript- (“directed in writing”), from the verb praescribere.
More words from Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian нормативен
- нормативен (normativen)of or pertaining to prescribing or enjoining, especially an action or behavior based on a norm or standard
Catalan prescriptiu
- prescriptiuof or pertaining to prescribing or enjoining, especially an action or behavior based on a norm or standard
French normatif
- normatifof or pertaining to prescribing or enjoining, especially an action or behavior based on a norm or standard
German normgebunden, durch Vorgaben diktiert
- normgebundenof or pertaining to prescribing or enjoining, especially an action or behavior based on a norm or standard
- durch Vorgaben diktiertof or pertaining to prescribing or enjoining, especially an action or behavior based on a norm or standard
- vorschreibendof or pertaining to prescribing or enjoining, especially an action or behavior based on a norm or standard
Japanese 規範的な
- 規範的な (kihanteki na)of or pertaining to prescribing or enjoining, especially an action or behavior based on a norm or standard
Polish preskryptywny, dyrektywalny
- preskryptywnyof or pertaining to prescribing or enjoining, especially an action or behavior based on a norm or standard
- dyrektywalnyof or pertaining to prescribing or enjoining, especially an action or behavior based on a norm or standard
Romanian prescriptiv
- prescriptivof or pertaining to prescribing or enjoining, especially an action or behavior based on a norm or standard
Russian предпи́сывающий, нормати́вный
- предпи́сывающий (predpísyvajuščij)of or pertaining to prescribing or enjoining, especially an action or behavior based on a norm or standard
- нормати́вный (normatívnyj)of or pertaining to prescribing or enjoining, especially an action or behavior based on a norm or standard
Spanish prescriptivo
- prescriptivoof or pertaining to prescribing or enjoining, especially an action or behavior based on a norm or standard
Swedish preskriptiv
- preskriptivof or pertaining to prescribing or enjoining, especially an action or behavior based on a norm or standard
Cite this entry
prescriptive. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/prescriptive
“prescriptive.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/prescriptive. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “prescriptive,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/prescriptive.
Source: prescriptive on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.