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View synonyms for

expensive

[ ik-spen-siv ]

adjective

  1. entailing great expense; very high-priced; costly:

    an expensive party.

    Antonyms: ,



expensive

/ ɪˈɛԲɪ /

adjective

  1. high-priced; costly; dear
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Derived Forms

  • ˈԲ, adverb
  • ˈԲԱ, noun
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Other Word Forms

  • ·s· adverb
  • ·s·Ա noun
  • ܲȴ-·s adjective
  • quasi-·s· adverb
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Word History and Origins

Origin of expensive1

First recorded in 1620–30; expense + -ive
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Synonym Study

Expensive, costly, dear, high-priced apply to something that is high in price. Expensive is applied to whatever entails considerable expense; it suggests a price more than the average person would normally be able to pay or a price paid only for something special: an expensive automobile. Costly implies that the price is a large sum, usually because of the fineness, preciousness, etc., of the object: a costly jewel. Dear is commonly applied in England to something that is selling beyond its usual or just price. In the U.S., high-priced is the usual equivalent.
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

"Trump is to blame for the fact that life is more expensive, it's harder to retire, and a 'Trump recession' is at our doorstep," the DNC said.

From

Georgia also discovered a seldom acknowledged reality about work requirements — they’re immensely expensive to administer.

From

The IET concluded underground cables were, on average, around four-and-a-half times more expensive than overhead lines while cabling out at sea could be up to 11 times more expensive.

From

She went on to be a High Court Master - judges who often manage complex, expensive cases - and was publicly promoted as a symbol of the modern judiciary's diversity.

From

The reality is that Musk is considerably less popular than Trump, and his expensive effort to influence a special election in Wisconsin fell completely flat with voters.

From

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More About Expensive

doesexpensive mean?

Expensive means something is high priced or costs a lot of money.

Expensive is most often applied to items with very high prices, such as luxury cars. But it can also be used to describe things whose price or cost is simply high compared to others.

Example: I like it, but it’s just too expensive. Do you have any lower-priced models?

Where doesexpensive come from?

The first records of expensive come from the 1620s. It is the adjective form of the older noun expense, which means “cost” or “something that needs to be paid for.” Expense derives from the Latin verb expendere, meaning “to expend” (“to pay out or spend”). The suffix -ive makes expensive an adjective.

Most often, things are described as expensive when they always have a high price, like mansions and designer dresses, or a high cost, like weddings. Of course, what one person considers expensive may be inexpensive to another person. It depends on how much a person is willing to spend and how much money they have. Sometimes, expensive means that the price or cost of something seems high compared to similar items. For example, $5 might not be a high price in general, but it would be considered pretty expensive for a single apple. Such a thing would often be called overpriced.

Did you know ... ?

are some other forms related to expensive?

  • expensively (adverb)
  • expensiveness (noun)

are some synonyms for expensive?

are some words that share a root or word element with expensive?

are some words that often get used in discussing expensive?

are some words expensive may be commonly confused with?

How isexpensive used in real life?

Expensive is a relative term, usually depending on how much money someone has. But it is always used in relation to how much something costs.

Try usingexpensive!

Which of the following things is most likely to be described as expensive?

A. gumball
B. generic shampoo
C. luxury car
D. half-price socks

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expense accountexperience