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

Other Word Forms

• expensively adverb
• expensiveness noun
• quasi-expensive adjective
• quasi-expensively 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 new Model 3 Standard starts at $36,990, $5,500 less expensive than the existing version of the car.

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Her beauty regimen is so expensive, it’s literally beyond belief.

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"Moreover, they may even benefit as it becomes more expensive."

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Treasury bonds look “reasonably” valued compared to inflation expectations, he says, corporate bonds are expensive, and by historic measures U.S. large-cap stocks — at 60%, the bulk of the portfolio — are very expensive indeed.

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It has tried to market itself as a more affordable, mid-tier amusement park that is far less expensive than a trip to Disney or Universal parks.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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

When To Use

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?