extortionate

[ik-stawr-shuh-nit]

See more synonyms for extortionate on Thesaurus.com

adjective

grossly excessive; exorbitant: extortionate prices.
characterized by extortion, as persons: extortionate moneylenders.

Origin of extortionate

First recorded in 1780–90; extortion + -ate¹

Related formsex·tor·tion·ate·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for extortionate

Contemporary Examples

Businesses are suffering more each day in an area where the rents are extortionate, and the situation could boil over soon.
Hong Kong Between Calm and Chaos
Ben Leung
October 3, 2014
Her sentence was manifestly excessive (the order to pay an extortionate $186 million alone proves his bias).
Is Julia Tymoshenko Europe’s Aung San Suu Kyi?
Geoffrey Robertson
October 23, 2012

Historical Examples

These were great demands, and were regarded as extortionate and oppressive.
Usury
Calvin Elliott
Of course I told the woman that this, to say the least, was an extortionate demand.
Moral
Ludwig Thoma
What is the measure of extortionate prices in this connection?
Distributive Justice
John A. (John Augustine) Ryan
For the time the bogey of extortionate charges was laid at rest.
Railroads: Rates and Regulations
William Z. Ripley
Away with my German-Swiss hotel, and the extortionate cynic who keeps it!
My Miscellanies, Vol. 1 (of 2)
Wilkie Collins

British Dictionary definitions for extortionate

extortionate

adjective

(of prices, etc) excessive; exorbitant
(of persons) using extortion

Derived Formsextortionately, adverb

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

Word Origin and History for extortionate

adj.

1789, from extortion + -ate.

extortionate

Origin of .css-1fxfie5{font-size:22px;}@media (max-width:768px){.css-1fxfie5{font-size:18px;margin:0 10px 10px 0;word-break:break-all;word-wrap:break-word;-webkit-hyphens:auto;-moz-hyphens:auto;-ms-hyphens:auto;hyphens:auto;line-height:22px;}}extortionate

Related Words

Examples from the Web for extortionate

Contemporary Examples

Businesses are suffering more each day in an area where the rents are extortionate, and the situation could boil over soon.

Her sentence was manifestly excessive (the order to pay an extortionate $186 million alone proves his bias).

Historical Examples

These were great demands, and were regarded as extortionate and oppressive.

Of course I told the woman that this, to say the least, was an extortionate demand.

What is the measure of extortionate prices in this connection?

For the time the bogey of extortionate charges was laid at rest.

Away with my German-Swiss hotel, and the extortionate cynic who keeps it!

extortionate

Word Origin and History for extortionate

adj.

Origin of extortionate