expensive

adjective ex·pen·sive \ ik-ˈspen(t)-siv \

Definition of expensive

1 :involving high cost or sacrifice

an expensive hobby

2 a :commanding a high price and especially one that is not based on intrinsic worth or is beyond a prospective buyer's means

b :characterized by high prices

expensive shops

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expensively

adverb

—

expensiveness

noun

See expensive defined for English-language learners

See expensive defined for kids

Examples of expensive in a Sentence

The lights were expensive to install.
expensive clothing that only the truly wealthy can afford

Recent Examples of expensive from the Web

Buy Photo Hospital costs for some of the most expensive treatments following an overdose are rising swiftly, researchers report, as intensive-care unit doctors struggle to save patients who arrive in increasingly dire straits.

— don sapatkin, Philly.com, "As heroin overdoses soar, so do hospital ICU costs," 29 Aug. 2017
And those units are usually more expensive to build.

— ely portillo, charlotteobserver, "Charlotte has enough housing for moderate-income people. Low income? That’s different," 28 Aug. 2017
Home costs are rising faster here than anywhere else in the nation, and have doubled in the past five years, pushing the middle class to surrounding, less expensive towns.

— mike rosenberg and angel gonzalez, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Thanks to Amazon, Seattle is now America’s biggest company town," 28 Aug. 2017
And up on the 100th floor lies the Royal Suite—the most expensive hotel room in South Korea, from about $18,000 a night.

— Condé Nast Traveler, "Signiel Seoul," 25 Aug. 2017
At some point she was told that Rogers had died in the West Indies, but proving his death—which would have freed Deborah to remarry formally—was impractically expensive and a long shot besides.

— stephen coss, Smithsonian, "What Led Benjamin Franklin to Live Estranged From His Wife for Nearly Two Decades?," 24 Aug. 2017
But the mice are expensive to create and typically require between 2 and 6 months to deliver a verdict.

— mitch leslie, Science | AAAS, "Zebrafish implanted with a cancer patient’s tumor could guide cancer treatment," 21 Aug. 2017
Rent in the West End became increasingly expensive.

— michael hamad, courant.com, "Wise Old Moon Hits Its Stride With New Digs And A New Sound," 21 Aug. 2017
But even that will be too expensive for most people looking to avoid the effects of a nuclear explosion and the subsequent fallout.

— adam k. raymond, Daily Intelligencer, "The Bomb-Shelter Biz Is Exploding Thanks to North Korea’s Missile Tests," 10 Aug. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'expensive.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of expensive

circa 1610

expensive Synonyms

Synonyms

big-ticket, dear, costly, extravagant, high, high-end, high-ticket, precious, premium, priceless, pricey (also pricy), spendy [chiefly Northwest], ultraexpensive, valuable

Antonyms

cheap, inexpensive

Related Words

exorbitant, overpriced, prohibitive, sky-high, steep, stiff, unaffordable, uneconomic (or uneconomical), unreasonable; inestimable, invaluable; deluxe, luxurious, sumptuous

Near Antonyms

moderate, reasonable; valueless, worthless; discounted

Other Economics Terms

actuary, compound interest, globalization, indemnity, portfolio, rentier, stagflation, usurer

EXPENSIVE Defined for English Language Learners

expensive

adjective

Definition of expensive for English Language Learners

: costing a lot of money

EXPENSIVE Defined for Kids

expensive

adjective ex·pen·sive \ ik-ˈspen-siv \

Definition of expensive for Students

:costly 1

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See words that rhyme with expensive Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for expensive Spanish Central: Translation of expensive Nglish: Translation of expensive for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of expensive for Arabic speakers

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expensive

Definition of expensive

expensively

expensiveness

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Examples of expensive in a Sentence

Recent Examples of expensive from the Web

First Known Use of expensive

expensive Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

Other Economics Terms

EXPENSIVE Defined for English Language Learners

expensive

Definition of expensive for English Language Learners

EXPENSIVE Defined for Kids

expensive

Definition of expensive for Students

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