exemptive

Exemptive is an English adjective used to describe something that creates or grants exemption from a rule, duty, or liability. It characterizes provisions, reliefs, statuses, or clauses that operate by exempting specified persons or activities from otherwise applicable requirements. In legal and policy language, exemptive wording signals that the usual obligations do not apply to the named group or circumstance.

Common contexts for exemptive language include tax law, where exemptive provisions establish tax-exempt status or exemptions for certain organizations, income, or transactions; regulatory regimes, where exemptive relief from rules can be sought by individuals or firms; and contract drafting, where exemptive clauses limit liability or carve out obligations. The term is frequently used in formal or regulatory writing to highlight the mechanism by which an exemption is produced or granted.

Exemptive is distinct from exemption (the state or act of being exempt and the exemption itself) and from exempt (the adjective meaning relieved from an obligation). As a specialized legal and policy term, exemptive describes the function of a provision or relief rather than the exemption category itself. Etymology traces exemptive to Latin exemptus, from ex- “out” + emere “to take,” with the English suffix -ive forming an adjective that denotes a characteristic or function.