inexpensive
Americanadjective
adjective
Synonym Usage
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.
Fisher designed a 5,000-square-foot studio and home that combines the aesthetics of a downtown artist’s loft and the comforts of a single-family home in the working-class enclave that still offered inexpensive land.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026
Gas is still rather inexpensive in the U.S.!
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026
While it may be hard to say a $5 trillion-plus company’s stock is inexpensive, analysts claim you can easily make the case when looking at Nvidia’s price-to-earnings multiple.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 5, 2026
Although the aluminum-based catalytic system is inexpensive and chemically active, it has an important limitation.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 21, 2026
He would be lowered into the ground in a casket I could barely afford, even though I had instructed the funeral home to use the most inexpensive one they could.
From "The Book of Unknown Americans" by Cristina Henríquez
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.
