expensive

[ik-spen-siv]

adjective

1. entailing great expense; very high-priced; costly.

   an expensive party.

   Antonyms: low-priced, cheap

expensive

/ ɪkˈspɛnsɪv /

adjective

1. high-priced; costly; dear

Other Word Forms

• expensively adverb
• expensiveness noun
• quasi-expensive adjective
• quasi-expensively adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of expensive¹

First recorded in 1620–30; expense + -ive

Synonym Study

Expensive, costly, dear, high-priced apply to something that is high in price. Expensive is applied to whatever entails considerable expense; it suggests a price more than the average person would normally be able to pay or a price paid only for something special: an expensive automobile. Costly implies that the price is a large sum, usually because of the fineness, preciousness, etc., of the object: a costly jewel. Dear is commonly applied in England to something that is selling beyond its usual or just price. In the U.S., high-priced is the usual equivalent.

Example Sentences

Independent analysis by a trusted consumer advocacy group has found that several of Australia's most popular, and expensive, sunscreens are not providing the protection they claim to, kicking off a national scandal.

From BBC

Competitors and publishers faced higher costs and reduced revenues as a result, it said, claiming these may have been passed to consumers in the form of more expensive services.

From BBC

Herbicides, another common technique for managing invasive grasses, are often expensive to purchase and can leave toxic chemicals in the environment after treatment.

From Los Angeles Times

Baker was very expensive in Leeds, but if you are going to pick somebody in the team two days ago, then you pick him again 48 hours later.

From BBC

“Any cooling device will be ineffective if too expensive to operate because renters cannot afford the electricity,” he wrote in an email.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• costly 
• extravagant 
• fancy 
• high 
• lavish 
• overpriced 
• pricey 
• upscale 
• valuable 

When To Use

What does expensive mean?

Expensive means something is high priced or costs a lot of money.Expensive is most often applied to items with very high prices, such as luxury cars. But it can also be used to describe things whose price or cost is simply high compared to others.Example: I like it, but it’s just too expensive. Do you have any lower-priced models?