inexpensive
Americanadjective
adjective
Related Words
See cheap.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of inexpensive
Explanation
Anything that's inexpensive doesn't cost a lot. The inexpensive camping trip your family takes, instead of flying first class to Disney World, might turn out to be a lot of fun! Inexpensive things are affordable, sometimes because they're cheaply made, but often because they're reasonably priced. Check out the thrift stores before you buy those $200 jeans — you might find an inexpensive used pair that looks identical! Or cook an inexpensive meal at home instead of eating at a fancy restaurant, and you'll have money to splurge on dessert. The Latin root of expensive means "weigh out money," and the prefix in- means "not."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
And it turns out there’s an ingenious, inexpensive little invention that combines the pacifier with the medicine syringe.
From Slate • May 17, 2026
The stock looks inexpensive, trading for 13 times earnings in its fiscal year ending in April 2027 and yielding 3.7%.
From Barron's • May 15, 2026
For example, the Pentagon has been working on its own program to produce the same sort of relatively inexpensive drone swarms that the Iranian military has used during the war to great effect.
From Salon • May 8, 2026
Updating hardware like cabinet handles, showerheads and doorknobs is an inexpensive way to personalize your space and add character, says Monique Valeris, home-design director at the Good Housekeeping Institute.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 30, 2026
The neighborhood surrounding the Professor’s store was made up of inexpensive apartment houses, little family-owned shops, and small, aging homes.
From "The Egypt Game" by Zilpha Keatley Snyder
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
