sticker shock

noun

1. unpleasant surprise on learning of an unexpectedly high price for an item.

Word History and Origins

Origin of sticker shock¹

sticker ( price ) + shock

Example Sentences

General Motors, Ford and Hyundai have all said they plan to continue offering incentives for battery-powered car sales to alleviate some of the sticker shock.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Still, the new fees will almost certainly engender sticker shock for L.A. residents already contending with skyrocketing insurance premiums, rising rents and eye-popping grocery prices.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

It’s a flashpoint for the uneasy truth that even fast food isn’t immune to sticker shock.

Read more on Salon

But the hash brown sticker shock taps into something bigger.

Read more on Salon

Denzel Washington and Jake Gyllenhaal in “Othello,” George Clooney in “Good Night, and Good Luck” and newly minted Oscar-winner Kieran Culkin in “Glengarry Glen Ross” allowed producers to create sticker shock on Broadway.

Read more on Los Angeles Times