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

We indulge in expensive cold-pressed juices and SoulCycle classes, justifying these purchases as investments in our health.

From The Daily Beast

Expensive day care pushes women out of the labor market while men continue to work outside the home.

From The Daily Beast

Community policing is expensive and, in an era of budget cuts, increasingly rare.

From The Daily Beast

Some medicines, like HIV drugs, are very expensive, as most them are under brand names.

From The Daily Beast

Even local chickens were more expensive than in the summer, Smirnova and another woman at the counter complained.

From The Daily Beast

W was a Watchman, and guarded the door; X was expensive, and so became poor.

From Project Gutenberg

Magnums of the driest and most expensive champagne seemed to be the favourite beverage.

From Project Gutenberg

You may take my word for it that pigs are far more interesting and far more respectable, though they're expensive, mind you.

From Project Gutenberg

Play-writing is a luxury to a journalist, as insidious as golf and much more expensive in time and money.

From Project Gutenberg

It was possible that no insurance company would take the risk on an expensive building in such a quarter.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

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