Dictionary

expensive en · ADJ

Pronunciation

• /əkˈspɛn.sɪv/
• (UK) audio
• /ɪkˈspɪn.sɪv/ (pin-pen-merger)
• (US) audio
• /ɛkˈspɛn.sɪv/
• (UK) audio
• /əkˈspɪn.sɪv/ (pin-pen-merger)
• /ɪkˈspɛn.sɪv/

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.

Meanings

1. Having a high price or cost.
   • If successful, Edison and Ford—in 1914—would move society away from the ever more expensive and then universally known killing hazards of gasoline cars: air and water pollution, noise and noxiousness, constant coughing and the undeniable rise in cancers caused by smoke exhaust particulates. 2006, Edwin Black, “The Plan Against Oil”, in Internal Combustion: How Corporations and Governments Addicted the World to Oil and Derailed the Alternatives, New York: St. Martin's Press, →ISBN, page 2:
   • In Starbucks’s case, the firm has in effect turned the process of making an expensive cup of coffee into intellectual property. 2013 June 22, “The G8 summit: T time”, in The Economist, London: The Economist Group, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 09 Jul 2013:
2. Taking a lot of system time or resources.
   • an unnecessarily expensive choice of algorithm
3. (obsolete) Given to expending a lot of money; profligate, lavish.
   • 'His character is now before you — expensive, dissipated, and worse than both […]' 1811, [Jane Austen], chapter IX, in Sense and Sensibility […], volume II, London: […] C[harles] Roworth, […], and published by T[homas] Egerton, […], →OCLC:
   • […] thus naturally generous and expenſive, he ſquandered away his money, and made a moſt ſplendid appearance upon the receipt of his quarterly appointment; […] 1751, [Tobias] Smollett, chapter XXV, in The Adventures of Peregrine Pickle […], volume I, London: Harrison and Co., […], →OCLC, page 186:
   • […] And that he looked into his own affairs, and underſtood them; That he had, when abroad, been very expenſive; and contracted a large debt (for he made no ſecret of his affairs); […] 1748, [Samuel Richardson], “Letter IV. Miſs Clarissa Harlowe, To Miſs Howe.”, in Clarissa. Or, The History of a Young Lady: […], volume I, London: […] S[amuel] Richardson; [a]nd sold by A[ndrew] Millar, […], →OCLC, page 22:
4. Having a high economy rate.

Forms

Antonyms

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

Coordinates

middle-end · mid-range · mid-tier · mid-market

Deriveds

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

Hypernyms

priced

Hyponyms

plush · overpriced · superexpensive · semiaffordable · sumptuous · upmarket · ultraexpensive · luxurious · posh · upscale · high-end · eye-watering · unattainable · unaffordable · overvalued

Relateds

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

Synonyms

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

Translations (198)

ta விலையுயர்ந்த (having a high price or cost) · ca car (having a high price or cost) · ar مُكَلَّف (having a high price or cost) · lo ແພງ (having a high price or cost) · bo གྲོན་ཆེན (having a high price or cost) · pl drogi (having a high price or cost) · ja 高い (having a high price or cost) · lv dārgs (having a high price or cost) · hi क़ीमती (having a high price or cost) · tg гарон (having a high price or cost) · nb dyr (having a high price or cost) · khb ᦶᦗᧂ (having a high price or cost) · ams たはさん (having a high price or cost) · mi nui (having a high price or cost) · su awis (having a high price or cost) · gu મોંઘું (having a high price or cost) · nn søkkdyr (having a high price or cost) · de kostspielig (having a high price or cost) · hu drága (having a high price or cost) · it costoso (having a high price or cost) · vo jerik (having a high price or cost) · la pretiōsus (having a high price or cost) · vec caro (having a high price or cost) · mi taimaha (having a high price or cost) · es gravoso (having a high price or cost) · my အဖိုးကြီး (having a high price or cost) · de teuer (having a high price or cost) · msk maal (having a high price or cost) · sa महार्घ (having a high price or cost) · be дарагі́ (having a high price or cost) · th แพง (having a high price or cost) · ga costasach (having a high price or cost) · zu -biza (having a high price or cost) · ky кымбат (having a high price or cost) · sk drahý (having a high price or cost) · is dýr (having a high price or cost) · la impēnsus (having a high price or cost) · ar غَالٍ (having a high price or cost) · hy թանկ (having a high price or cost) · uk кошто́вний (having a high price or cost) · rue дорогы́й (having a high price or cost) · pa ਮਹਿੰਗਾ (having a high price or cost) · ur قِیمْتی (having a high price or cost) · lus to (having a high price or cost) · sv kostsam (having a high price or cost) · uz qimmat (having a high price or cost) · nan-hbl 貴 /贵 (having a high price or cost) · wa tchir (having a high price or cost) · ne महँगो (having a high price or cost) · sq shtrenjtë (having a high price or cost) · af duur (having a high price or cost) · sa बहुमूल्य (having a high price or cost) · la cārus (having a high price or cost) · nn dyr (having a high price or cost) · tk gymmat (having a high price or cost) · pdt dia (having a high price or cost) · aii ܝܲܩܘܼܪ ܛܝܼܡܹ̈ܐ (having a high price or cost) · ba ҡиммәт (having a high price or cost) · ba ҡыйбат (having a high price or cost) · my ကြေးကြီး (having a high price or cost) · ru дорого́й (having a high price or cost) · my ရှား (having a high price or cost) · zdj hali (having a high price or cost) · ga daor (having a high price or cost) · fr coûteux (having a high price or cost) · ml ചെലവേറിയ (having a high price or cost) · ne बहुमुल्य (having a high price or cost) · az bahalı (having a high price or cost) · mr महाग (having a high price or cost) · mfe ser (having a high price or cost) · as মহঙা (having a high price or cost) · gd cosgail (having a high price or cost) · cmn 昂貴 /昂贵 (having a high price or cost) · nv ílį́įnii (having a high price or cost) · he יָקָר (having a high price or cost) · ast caru (having a high price or cost) · es oneroso (having a high price or cost) · tt кыйбат (having a high price or cost) · ka ძვირი (having a high price or cost) · yue 貴 /贵 (having a high price or cost) · fo dýrur (having a high price or cost) · tg қимат (having a high price or cost) · sh ску̑п (having a high price or cost) · bg скъп (having a high price or cost) · jv awis (having a high price or cost) · bo གྲོན་ཆེ (having a high price or cost) · bo གུས་པོ (having a high price or cost) · eo multekosta (having a high price or cost) · ka ძვირადღირებული (having a high price or cost) · oc car (having a high price or cost) · si ගණං (having a high price or cost) · yi טייַער (having a high price or cost) · fa-ira گِران (having a high price or cost) · ckb گران (having a high price or cost) · fr cher (having a high price or cost) · dng гуй (having a high price or cost) · te ఖరీదైన (having a high price or cost) · mt għaljin (having a high price or cost) · cs nákladný (having a high price or cost) · za bengz (having a high price or cost) · ia car (having a high price or cost) · so qaali (having a high price or cost) · haw pipiʻi (having a high price or cost) · grc πολυτελής (having a high price or cost) · ps قيمته (having a high price or cost) · av хирияб (having a high price or cost) · izh kallis (having a high price or cost) · gd daor (having a high price or cost) · alt кыймат (having a high price or cost) · kri dia (having a high price or cost) · crh paalı (having a high price or cost) · cmn 貴 /贵 (having a high price or cost) · cu драгъ (having a high price or cost) · ps ګران (having a high price or cost) · inh деза (having a high price or cost) · da dyr (having a high price or cost) · ht chè (having a high price or cost) · nl duur (having a high price or cost) · got 𐌲𐌰𐌻𐌰𐌿𐍆𐍃 (having a high price or cost) · eo altepreza (having a high price or cost) · it caro (having a high price or cost) · dsb drogi (having a high price or cost) · ga mórluachach (having a high price or cost) · hi बहुमूल्य (having a high price or cost) · tl mahal (having a high price or cost) · as দামী (having a high price or cost) · km ថ្លៃ (having a high price or cost) · kk қымбат (having a high price or cost) · ro scump (having a high price or cost) · sh skȕp (having a high price or cost) · tsg mahalga' (having a high price or cost) · gv ard-leaghoil (having a high price or cost) · es cariola (p.u.) (having a high price or cost) · lt brangus (having a high price or cost) · it dispendioso (having a high price or cost) · pt caro (having a high price or cost) · el ακριβός (having a high price or cost) · sw gali (having a high price or cost) · et kallis (having a high price or cost) · cs drahý (having a high price or cost) · arz غالي (having a high price or cost) · ur مَہَن٘گا (having a high price or cost) · es dispendioso (having a high price or cost) · bn ব্যয়বহুল (having a high price or cost) · ug قىممەت (having a high price or cost) · fi kallis (having a high price or cost) · ko 비싸다 (having a high price or cost) · my ဈေးကြီး (having a high price or cost) · ce еза (having a high price or cost) · sq kushtueshëm (having a high price or cost) · nb kostbar (having a high price or cost) · zdj ghali (having a high price or cost) · ti ክቡር (having a high price or cost) · ga costasúil (having a high price or cost) · prs قِیمَت (having a high price or cost) · az baha (having a high price or cost) · ce деза (having a high price or cost) · vi mắc (having a high price or cost) · uk дороги́й (having a high price or cost) · mk скап (having a high price or cost) · crs ser (having a high price or cost) · fur čhâr (having a high price or cost) · hi महँगा (having a high price or cost) · rar taimaha (having a high price or cost) · es costoso (having a high price or cost) · ccc kajso'no tsakala (having a high price or cost) · sd महांगो (having a high price or cost) · fur cjâr (having a high price or cost) · vi đắt (having a high price or cost) · vi đắt tiền (having a high price or cost) · id mahal (having a high price or cost) · mww tsis pheejyig (having a high price or cost) · hsb drohi (having a high price or cost) · cy drud (having a high price or cost) · sl drag (having a high price or cost) · es caro (having a high price or cost) · sd مَهانگو (having a high price or cost) · zu -dula (having a high price or cost) · mi taumaha (having a high price or cost) · jv larang (having a high price or cost) · ks درٛۆگ (having a high price or cost) · ms mahal (having a high price or cost) · ar الْغَالِي (having a high price or cost) · ceb mahal (having a high price or cost) · bo གུན་པོ (having a high price or cost) · mww kim (having a high price or cost) · lb deier (having a high price or cost) · ang dīere (having a high price or cost) · ro costisitor (having a high price or cost) · sv dyr (having a high price or cost) · gl caro (having a high price or cost) · ny yodula (having a high price or cost) · inh еза (having a high price or cost) · prs گِرَان (having a high price or cost) · am ዉድ (having a high price or cost) · tr pahalı (having a high price or cost) · mn үнэтэй (having a high price or cost) · io chera (having a high price or cost)