exorbitant en · ADJ
Pronunciation
- /ɪɡˈzoɹbətənt/ (General-American)
- /ɪɡˈzɔːbɪtənt/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- /ɛɡˈzɔːbɪtənt/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- /ɛɡˈzoɹbətənt/ (General-American)
- (US) audio
Etymology
From Middle English exorbitant, through Old French from Late Latin exorbitāns, present active participle of exorbitō (“to go out of the track”), from ex (“out”) + orbita (“wheel-track”); see orbit. Compare French exorbitant.
Meanings
-
Exceeding proper limits; excessive or unduly high; extravagant.
Love, being an extremely exacting usurer (a sense of exorbitant profit, spiritually, by an exchange of hearts, being at the bottom of pure passions, as that of exorbitant profit, bodily or materially, is at the bottom of those of lower atmosphere), every morning his feelings were as sensitive as the money-market in calculations upon his chances.
1874, Thomas Hardy, “Gabriel’s Resolve—The Visit—The Mistake”, in Far from the Madding Crowd. […], volume I, London: Smith, Elder & Co., […], →OCLC, page 38:It’s a nice car, but they are charging an exorbitant price for it.
You also have to pay exorbitant interest if you have credit card debt.
In addition, many low-income people are “unbanked” (not served by a financial institution), and thus nearly eaten alive by exorbitant fees.
2015 January 19, Charles M[cRay] Blow, “How Expensive It Is to Be Poor”, in The New York Times (A section), New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 26 Apr 2021, page 19:But whatever might be the internal thoughts of Macedonian officers, they held their peace before Alexander [the Great], whose formidable character and exorbitant self-estimation would tolerate no criticism.
1856, George Grote, chapter XCIV, in History of Greece, volume XII, London: John Murray, […], →OCLC, part II (Continuation of Historical Greece), page 282:As I’ve pointed out, the price being asked for SpaceX shares was exorbitant, and it rose even higher on its first day of trading.
2026 June 13, Jeff Sommer, “Mega I.P.O. Frenzy Could Be a Harbinger of a Stock Bubble”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| more exorbitant | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic | |
| most exorbitant | Degree=Sup | lexicographic |
Antonyms
unextortionate · proper · reasonable · fair · modest
Deriveds
exorbitantly · exorbitant privilege · unexorbitant · exorbitance
Hypernyms
Hyponyms
Relateds
Synonyms
inordinate · exorbitant · penal · extortionate · extortionate · usurious · inordinate · disproportionate · extortious · sky-high · extortionable · extravagant · exorbiant
Translations (38)
nl buitensporig (exceeding proper limits) · ru чрезме́рный (exceeding proper limits) · gl exorbitante (exceeding proper limits) · ang oferranc (exceeding proper limits) · de maßlos (exceeding proper limits) · cmn 過高的 /过高的 (exceeding proper limits) · mk претеран (exceeding proper limits) · ru безме́рный (exceeding proper limits) · ja 法外な (exceeding proper limits) · pt exorbitante (exceeding proper limits) · de exorbitant (exceeding proper limits) · ms lebih daripada biasa (exceeding proper limits) · sv orimlig (exceeding proper limits) · ru чрезвыча́йный (exceeding proper limits) · da eksorbitant (exceeding proper limits) · fr exorbitant (exceeding proper limits) · it esorbitante (exceeding proper limits) · ga as cuimse ard (exceeding proper limits) · nl exorbitant (exceeding proper limits) · cs přemrštěný (exceeding proper limits) · mk прекумерен (exceeding proper limits) · tr fahiş (exceeding proper limits) · ja とんでもない (exceeding proper limits) · bg прекален (exceeding proper limits) · th ลิบลิ่ว (exceeding proper limits) · fi yletön (exceeding proper limits) · ru непоме́рный (exceeding proper limits) · ko 터무니없는 (exceeding proper limits) · ko 과도한 (exceeding proper limits) · fi kohtuuton (exceeding proper limits) · th แพงลิบลิ่ว (exceeding proper limits) · pl wygórowany (exceeding proper limits) · cmn 過度的 /过度的 (exceeding proper limits) · fa گزاف (exceeding proper limits) · ms melampau (exceeding proper limits) · es exorbitante (exceeding proper limits) · no ublu (exceeding proper limits) · sv omåttlig (exceeding proper limits)