expensive

[ ik-spen-siv ]

/ ɪkˈspɛn sɪv /

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See synonyms for expensive on Thesaurus.com

adjective

entailing great expense; very high-priced; costly: an expensive party.

OPPOSITES FOR expensive

cheap, low-priced.

See antonyms for expensive on Thesaurus.com

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of expensive

First recorded in 1620–30; expense + -ive

synonym study for expensive

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.

OTHER WORDS FROM expensive

ex·pen·sive·ly, adverbex·pen·sive·ness, nounqua·si-ex·pen·sive, adjectivequa·si-ex·pen·sive·ly, adverb

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH expensive

expansive, expensive

How to use expensive in a sentence

Complying with the new bill could be costly to companies, especially in the textile industry, where cotton gets woven into garments around the world, making it difficult and expensive to trace.
Apple is lobbying against a bill aimed at stopping forced labor in China|Reed Albergotti|November 20, 2020|Washington Post
They’ve become only more expensive to put on — the cost of insurance and travel and shipping.
Plight at the Museum|Jen Trolio|November 20, 2020|Vox
That amounted to almost $19 per test, more expensive than some tests that had become available domestically.
Hogan’s first batch of coronavirus tests from South Korea were flawed, never used|Steve Thompson|November 20, 2020|Washington Post
This is not an offseason with monstrously expensive superstars such as Harper, Anthony Rendon, Stephen Strasburg, Gerrit Cole and Manny Machado.
The Nationals have been forgotten by baseball. Don’t expect that to last.|Thomas M. Boswell|November 19, 2020|Washington Post

There was a time where the unions were requesting everyone get tested, but agencies and clients were not at the point where they wanted to pay for it because it is the most expensive part Covid costs.
‘Logistical issues’: Confessions of a production exec on how coronavirus safety has changed her job|Kristina Monllos|November 18, 2020|Digiday
I don't know but I might make one among them myself, now and then, if it was not for the expensiveness of hiring of a horse.'
Camilla|Fanny Burney
Another dubious point is Oswald's argument in the first act as to the expensiveness of marriage as compared with free union.
Ghosts|Henrik Ibsen
The utility of articles valued for their beauty depends closely upon the expensiveness of the articles.
The Theory of the Leisure Class|Thorstein Veblen
The marks of expensiveness come to be accepted as beautiful features of the expensive articles.
The Theory of the Leisure Class|Thorstein Veblen
There is a studious exhibition of expensiveness coupled with a make-believe of simplicity and crude serviceability.
The Theory of the Leisure Class|Thorstein Veblen

British Dictionary definitions for expensive

expensive

/ (ɪkˈspɛnsɪv) /

adjective

high-priced; costly; dear

Derived forms of expensive

expensively, adverbexpensiveness, noun

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

expensive

OPPOSITES FOR expensive

Origin of expensive

synonym study for expensive

OTHER WORDS FROM expensive

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH expensive

Words related to expensive

How to use expensive in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for expensive

Derived forms of expensive