expensive

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

Updated on: 14 Apr 2018

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

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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

After originally listing their Riverside Terrace mansion at $3.5 million, the Cluffs gradually have dropped the price to $2.5 million — still the most expensive listing in a 2.5-mile radius, according to the Houston Association of Realtors’ website.

— jacob carpenter, Houston Chronicle, "Charter school founders, facing restitution in embezzlement case, drop price on mansion by $1M," 11 Apr. 2018
In a state still scarred by Parkland, reports of gun violence during what could be the most expensive U.S. Senate campaign in history will continue to evoke strong emotions and be used as justifications for changing policy.

— alex daugherty and david smiley, miamiherald, "Bill Nelson spreads wrong information after shootings in Liberty City, Parkland | Miami Herald," 9 Apr. 2018
Home theaters, kids wings and sunset viewing decks are among the luxurious features in this week's most expensive home sales in metro Phoenix.

— azcentral, "Luxury homes: $2.75M Phoenix mansion has kids wing, guest quarters," 9 Apr. 2018
Some fire-safety advocates in 1999 pushed for a requirement that older apartment buildings be retrofitted with sprinklers, but officials in the administration of then-mayor Rudy Giuliani said that would be too expensive.

— dom calicchio, Fox News, "Trump Tower 'well built,' but lacks sprinklers on upper floors, FDNY commissioner says," 8 Apr. 2018
Critics said the health care system developed under federal reforms in 2009 is broken and that coverage sold on the state’s exchange is too expensive for many middle class residents.

— scott dance, baltimoresun.com, "Maryland legislature approves plan to stabilize state's Obamacare market with new tax on insurers," 4 Apr. 2018
Supermarket shelves are often empty. Skyrocketing inflation -- set to go up 720% this year, according to the International Monetary Fund -- makes whatever food that's available too expensive for many to buy.

— julia jones and stefano pozzebon, CNN, "Venezuela health system in worse condition than expected, according to survey," 28 Mar. 2018
And most things on Alibaba and JD.com are too expensive for her.

— li yuan, WSJ, "Aim Low: How to Chase the Next Half-Billion Internet Addicts," 23 Mar. 2018
After about a year of gasifying coal, the plant was ordered to switch to natural gas because the electricity it coal gasification produced was too expensive.

— emily hopkins, USA TODAY, "Could this 'clean coal’ plant proposal be an answer to Indiana’s 17 billion tons of reserves?," 19 Mar. 2018

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

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

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expensive Synonyms

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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First Known Use of expensive

expensive Synonyms

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EXPENSIVE Defined for English Language Learners

expensive

Definition of expensive for English Language Learners

EXPENSIVE Defined for Kids

expensive

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