prohibitive

This term carries a strong sense of an insurmountable barrier. When applied to cost, it suggests a price point so extreme that it functions as a practical ban, effectively locking out potential buyers without needing a formal law. It is more intense than expensive, implying a total lack of accessibility.

In a legal or regulatory sense, the word describes rules designed to stop an action before it happens. It evokes a feeling of restriction and control, often used in formal, bureaucratic, or legal contexts to describe mandates that are strictly preventative.