restrictive
/ɹɪˈstɹɪktɪv/adjective, noun
restrictive is spelled R-E-S-T-R-I-C-T-I-V-E: 11 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 3.5 times per million words in written English, the 14,106th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, restrictive means “Confining, limiting, containing within defined bounds” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in restrictive?
| Letters | 11: R-E-S-T-R-I-C-T-I-V-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 3.5 times per million words; the 14,106th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is restrictive?
Restrictive appears 3.5 times per million words in written English, the 14,106th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce restrictive?
- /ɹɪˈstɹɪktɪv/
Restrictive has 3 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-restrictive.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of restrictive
- more restrictive comparative
- most restrictive superlative
- restrictives plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does restrictive mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Confining, limiting, containing within defined bounds.
- 2
limiting free and easy bodily movement.
noun
- 1
A clause that narrows the meaning of a noun or noun phrase.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Restrictive in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense confining; limiting:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | restrictif |
| German | einschränkend, restriktiv |
| Portuguese | restritivo |
| Spanish | restrictivo |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does restrictive come from?
From Middle French restrictif. Morphologically restrict + -ive.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).