expensive
adjective
ex·pen·sive
ik-ˈspen(t)-siv 
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
expensively
adverb
expensiveness
noun
Examples of expensive in a Sentence
The lights were expensive to install.
expensive clothing that only the truly wealthy can afford
Recent Examples on the Web
Others in the housing space, though, say that is not the case and that the policy could backfire by making housing more expensive for some.
—
Zach Halaschak, The Washington Examiner, 10 Feb. 2026
An expensive mutual fiction that this all matters.
—Hannah Keyser, CNN Money, 9 Feb. 2026
One expert argues that the expensive move is also a play to convince consumers and investors of the company’s AI future.
—Diane Brady, Fortune, 9 Feb. 2026
For much of the nineteenth century, dolls were made at home from corn husks, clothing scraps, and the like, or produced from expensive, fragile bisque porcelain and kept high up on shelves to be admired by grownup collectors, not pawed by clumsy kids.
—Alexandra Schwartz, New Yorker, 9 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for expensive
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Zach Halaschak, The Washington Examiner, 10 Feb. 2026
An expensive mutual fiction that this all matters.
—Hannah Keyser, CNN Money, 9 Feb. 2026
One expert argues that the expensive move is also a play to convince consumers and investors of the company’s AI future.
—Diane Brady, Fortune, 9 Feb. 2026
For much of the nineteenth century, dolls were made at home from corn husks, clothing scraps, and the like, or produced from expensive, fragile bisque porcelain and kept high up on shelves to be admired by grownup collectors, not pawed by clumsy kids.
—Alexandra Schwartz, New Yorker, 9 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for expensive
Cite this Entry
“Expensive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/expensive. Accessed 11 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
expensive
adjective
ex·pen·sive
ik-ˈspen(t)-siv
1
: costly sense 2
an expensive hobby
2
a
: having a high price
expensive gifts
b
: marked by high prices
expensive shops
expensively
adverb
expensiveness
noun
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