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Synonyms

pricey

American  
[prahy-see] / ˈpraɪ si /
Or pricy

adjective

pricier, priciest
  1. expensive or unduly expensive.

    a pricey wine.


pricey British  
/ ˈpraɪsɪ /

adjective

  1. an informal word for expensive

"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

Usage

What does pricey mean? Pricey describes something that is expensive or unreasonably expensive, as in Talya wanted to go on the world cruise, but the tickets were so pricey. Pricey is a highly subjective description, because everyone’s budget is different and everyone’s opinion about what an acceptable price is for a product or service varies. You’ll use pricey most often when you think the cost of something is much higher than you want to pay, whether or not a majority of people think that same item is pricey.You might also use pricey to describe something that is more expensive than others like it but that provides a higher value or quality in return. In this case, pricey would be an acceptable quality.Example: The hotel was a bit pricey, but we had a good time.

Other Word Forms

  • priceyness noun
  • pricily adverb

Etymology

Origin of pricey

First recorded in 1930–35; price + -y 1

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.

Affordability, at least compared with pricey coastal cities, is the draw.

From The Wall Street Journal

Since this spread is likely to be quite pricey, we may also be setting a dollar stop if the spread purchase is confirmed.

From MarketWatch

A similar issue shrank the population in metro Miami, another pricey region that is losing people rapidly to other parts of the U.S.

From The Wall Street Journal

But those gains also add to Arm’s already pricey valuation; the stock now trades at 81 times projected earnings.

From The Wall Street Journal

These vehicles, with their expensive sensors and computers, are still pricey, even if the costs are coming down from lofty levels.

From The Wall Street Journal