exorbitant

American  

[ig-zawr-bi-tuhnt] / ɪgˈzɔr bɪ tənt /

adjective

1. exceeding the bounds of custom, propriety, or reason, especially in amount or extent; highly excessive.

   to charge an exorbitant price; exorbitant luxury.

2. Archaic. outside the authority of the law.

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exorbitant British  

/ ɪɡˈzɔːbɪtənt /

adjective

1. (of prices, demands, etc) in excess of what is reasonable; excessive; extravagant; immoderate

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Other Word Forms

• exorbitance noun
• exorbitantly adverb
• unexorbitant adjective
• unexorbitantly adverb

Etymology

Origin of exorbitant

1425–75; late Middle English < Late Latin exorbitant- (stem of exorbitāns, present participle of exorbitāre to go out of the track), equivalent to ex- ex- ¹ + orbit ( a ) wheel track ( orbit ) + -ant- -ant

Example Sentences

Most small and intermediate-size companies can be accessed only through exorbitant fees such as the “2 and 20” for venture funds and the multilayer fees for funds of funds.

From The Wall Street Journal

Molten glass drops through chutes before being blown into bottles at manufacturer Encirc's northwest England plant, where intensive operations are under strain from exorbitant energy prices weighing on Britain's heavy industry.

From Barron's

In my quest to prove that quintessentially Parisian experiences can be had without exorbitant fees, I went in search of affordable perfumery workshops.

From The Wall Street Journal

“That is cold comfort for a consumer who has been struggling with four years of exorbitant cumulative inflation and is looking for relief,” Moskow said.

From The Wall Street Journal

“I was getting just an exorbitant amount of calls, like every single day, and had learned to not pick up my phone,” he said.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• enormous
• inordinate
• outrageous
• pricey
• steep
• unconscionable
• unreasonable
• unwarranted