expensive

[ ik-spen-siv ]

adjective

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

   an expensive party.

   Antonyms: low-priced, cheap

expensive

/ ɪkˈspɛnsɪv /

adjective

1. high-priced; costly; dear

Derived Forms

• exˈpensively, adverb
• exˈpensiveness, noun

Other Words From

• ex·pensive·ly adverb
• ex·pensive·ness noun
• quasi-ex·pensive adjective
• quasi-ex·pensive·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of expensive¹

First recorded in 1620–30; expense + -ive

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.

Example Sentences

The absence of the US in particular makes funding of the court more expensive for others.

From BBC

For example, if shopping at your neighborhood grocery store or bookstore is more expensive, consider making one out of every five purchases there.

From Salon

The family’s combined spending helped make the 2024 mayor’s race one of the most expensive in modern history.

From Los Angeles Times

“In our legal system we are entitled to mount a defense. Also in our system, we are expected to pay for that defense. That can be very expensive.”

From Los Angeles Times

The taped banana - now perhaps one of the most expensive fruits ever sold - was actually bought earlier in the day for a mere $0.35, according to the New York Times.

From BBC

Related Words

• costly
• extravagant
• fancy
• high
• lavish
• overpriced
• pricey
• upscale
• valuable

More About Expensive

What does expensive 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 does expensive 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 ... ?

What are some other forms related to expensive?

• expensively (adverb)
• expensiveness (noun)

What are some synonyms for expensive?

• pricey
• high-priced
• costly

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

 

• expense
• expenditure
• expendable

What are some words that often get used in discussing expensive?

 

• price
• cost
• price tag
• purchase
• money
• luxury
• overpriced

What are some words expensive may be commonly confused with?

• expansive

How is expensive 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.

The FDA recently approved 2 transformative new treatments for sickle-cell disease, the first in 20 years. But the drugs are wildly expensive, renewing troubling questions about access to cutting-edge medicines. https://t.co/9AqXjtj5Qz

— The New York Times (@nytimes) December 8, 2019

I really want to get back into photography but camera equipment is way too expensive 😅

— 𝒮𝒶𝓇𝒶 (@SaraRenae15) March 6, 2020

i just bought lettuce for $3, isn’t that a little expensive for a ball of leaves

— cheryl (@sheryourk) November 12, 2019

 

 

Try using expensive!

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