extortionary

adjective

ex·​tor·​tion·​ary ik-ˈstȯr-shə-ˌner-ē How to pronounce extortionary (audio)

Examples of extortionary in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The average weekend warrior encounters increasingly insurmountable obstacles on their journey to the mountain: traffic chokes the highways; lift ticket prices are extortionary; climate change has made powder days scarcer. Gloria Liu, Outside Online, 27 Feb. 2023 Al-Shabaab, al Qaeda’s local affiliate, operates a shadow government in parts of Somalia, and his camel broker paid militants $300 in extortionary taxes to get 26 animals to Somaliland, which is far more stable than Somalia. Michael M. Phillips, WSJ, 17 Nov. 2022 But while some manufacturers decide at the corporate level who gets what, others leave it to the dealers to play Santa, and the results can be extortionary. Robert Ross, Robb Report, 17 Sep. 2022 The syndicates' extortionary attacks have worsened in the past year. BostonGlobe.com, 6 July 2021 Recently, ransomware authors have gone even further and made extortionary threats to disclose sensitive information unless the ransom is paid. Mike Chapple For Cnn Business Perspectives, CNN, 10 June 2021

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'extortionary.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1771, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of extortionary was in 1771

Dictionary Entries Near extortionary

Cite this Entry

“Extortionary.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/extortionary. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.

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