"Proscribe" = to officially forbid or ban; "prescribe" = to recommend, order, or establish as a rule.
Verb: to officially forbid something, to declare it illegal or unacceptable. Laws proscribe; regulations proscribe; authorities proscribe dangerous activities. Related to "proscription" (official prohibition).
The treaty proscribed the use of chemical weapons by all signatory nations.
The new regulations proscribe any form of discrimination based on age in the hiring process.
The religious community proscribed contact with former members who had left the group.
Verb: (1) a doctor orders a medication; (2) an authority orders or establishes a rule of conduct; (3) a law or custom establishes a procedure. "Doctors prescribe medication" / "The law prescribes penalties." Related to "prescription" (medical prescription / established rule).
The doctor prescribed a two-week course of antibiotics and advised her to rest.
The constitution prescribes a specific process for amending its own articles.
Traditional etiquette prescribes that guests wait to be seated before picking up their utensils.
Common mistake
Confusion is common because both words sound very similar. The test: if something is FORBIDDEN, it is PROSCRIBED. If something is ORDERED or RECOMMENDED, it is PRESCRIBED. "The law prescribes this behavior" = the law orders/requires this conduct. "The law proscribes this behavior" = the law forbids this conduct. The meanings are nearly opposite.
Trick to remember it
Direct trick: PROSCRIBE = PROHIBIT (both start with PRO). Think: to PROscribe is to PROhibit. PRESCRIBE = what a doctor ORDERS via a PRESCRIPTION. When a doctor gives you a prescription, they prescribed something. PRE- = before (ordering in advance). PRO- in proscribe = pushing something OUT (declaring it outlawed).
Quick rule
Proscribe = to forbid or ban (laws proscribe; treaties proscribe). Prescribe = to order, recommend, or establish as a rule (doctors prescribe; laws prescribe penalties).
Did you know?
In ancient Rome, "proscriptio" was a public list of people declared outlaws — those who could be killed with impunity. Sulla, Marius, and later Caesar's Triumvirate issued proscriptions to eliminate political enemies. The word "prescribe" has a more prosaic history: it comes from "to write before" (pre + scribere), in the sense of writing instructions in advance, like a medical prescription.
Exercise 1 · Pick the right one
The international agreement _____ the dumping of toxic waste in international waters.
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
The treatment protocol _____ a specific sequence of exercises to be completed twice daily during recovery.
Exercise 3 · Form the word
Proscribe = to forbid or ban (laws proscribe; treaties proscribe). Prescribe = to order, recommend, or establish as a rule (doctors prescribe; laws prescribe penalties).
Confusion is common because both words sound very similar. The test: if something is FORBIDDEN, it is PROSCRIBED. If something is ORDERED or RECOMMENDED, it is PRESCRIBED. "The law prescribes this behavior" = the law orders/requires this conduct. "The law proscribes this behavior" = the law forbids this conduct. The meanings are nearly opposite.
Direct trick: PROSCRIBE = PROHIBIT (both start with PRO). Think: to PROscribe is to PROhibit. PRESCRIBE = what a doctor ORDERS via a PRESCRIPTION. When a doctor gives you a prescription, they prescribed something. PRE- = before (ordering in advance). PRO- in proscribe = pushing something OUT (declaring it outlawed).
Bryan López
Founder of SpeakUP Academy