English Explanatory Dictionary

expensive

English dictionary entry

Meanings

adj
  1. Having a high price or cost.
  2. Taking a lot of system time or resources.
  3. Given to expending a lot of money; profligate, lavish.
  4. Having a high economy rate.

Pronunciation

/ɪkˈspɛnsɪv/ /ɛkˈspɛnsɪv/ En-us-expensive.ogg En-uk-expensive.ogg LL-Q1860 (eng)-Back ache-expensive.wav

Word forms

expensive more expensive most expensive expencive

Etymology

From Latin *expēnsīvus, from expendō (“to weigh out (money), to pay out”) (whence English expend). By surface analysis, expense + -ive. In the sense of "high-priced" has largely displaced dear.

Synonyms

5-star big-ticket chargeful cheap at half the price costful costly cost-prohibitive fancy dear dearthful dispendious ex expenny expensive exy high-cost lickpenny million-dollar high-priced princely out of sight overdear pricey ruinous spendy spenno spenny splurgy steep

Antonyms

affordable attainable bargain budget cheap discount economical econo- inexpensive jitney low-end low-priced nickel value

Related words

expend expenditure expense overpriced $$$ an arm and a leg cost-conscious exorbitant exploitive no-frills give one's eye-teeth give one's left nut give one's right arm frugal good value inflationary miser miserly pay through the nose priced-off price gouging profligate pretty penny spendthrift thrift thrifty

Derived words

expenny expensive drunk expensively expensiveness inexpensive it's too expensive nonexpensive spenno spenny spensive 'spensive superexpensive ultraexpensive unexpensive
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