nonrestrictive
|non-re-stric-tive|
🇺🇸
/nɑn.rɪˈstrɪk.tɪv/
🇬🇧
/nɒn.rɪˈstrɪk.tɪv/
not limiting / not essential
Etymology
'nonrestrictive' is formed in modern English by prefixing 'non-' (from Latin 'non', meaning 'not') to 'restrictive' (from Late Latin 'restrictivus', from Latin 'restringere').
'restrictive' derives from Latin 'restringere' (re- 'back' + stringere 'to bind, draw tight'), passed into Late Latin as 'restrictivus' and entered English via influence from French/Latin formations; 'non-' has been used in English as a productive negative prefix since Middle English, producing 'nonrestrictive' as a modern English compound.
Originally elements meant 'not' (non-) and 'to bind/limit' (restringere); over time 'restrictive' developed the adjectival sense 'imposing limits,' and 'nonrestrictive' came to mean 'not imposing limits' or, in grammar, 'not essential for identification.'
Meanings by Part of Speech
Adjective 1
not imposing restrictions; not limiting — general use (e.g., a policy, rule, or approach that does not restrict actions).
The company adopted a nonrestrictive remote-work policy to give employees flexibility.
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Adjective 2
(Grammar) Describing a clause or phrase that adds extra, nonessential information and is not required to identify its referent; often set off by commas (contrast with 'restrictive').
In 'My sister, who lives in Boston, is visiting,' the clause 'who lives in Boston' is nonrestrictive.
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Last updated: 2025/12/25 00:47