Synonym Chooser

How is the word exorbitant different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of exorbitant are excessive, extravagant, extreme, immoderate, and inordinate. While all these words mean "going beyond a normal limit," exorbitant implies a departure from accepted standards regarding amount or degree.

exorbitant prices

When might excessive be a better fit than exorbitant?

Although the words excessive and exorbitant have much in common, excessive implies an amount or degree too great to be reasonable or acceptable.

excessive punishment

When would extravagant be a good substitute for exorbitant?

The words extravagant and exorbitant are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, extravagant implies an indifference to restraints imposed by truth, prudence, or good taste.

extravagant claims for the product

When could extreme be used to replace exorbitant?

The meanings of extreme and exorbitant largely overlap; however, extreme may imply an approach to the farthest limit possible or conceivable but commonly means only to a notably high degree.

extreme shyness

Where would immoderate be a reasonable alternative to exorbitant?

The words immoderate and exorbitant can be used in similar contexts, but immoderate implies lack of desirable or necessary restraint.

immoderate spending

When can inordinate be used instead of exorbitant?

The synonyms inordinate and exorbitant are sometimes interchangeable, but inordinate implies an exceeding of the limits dictated by reason or good judgment.

inordinate pride

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of exorbitant Her obvious explanations, her exorbitant rates, her easy life. Clare Sestanovich, New Yorker, 13 July 2025 Other issues — visa denials, exorbitant costs, America’s allergy to public transport — could be a stain on the tournament, and are just as important to document. Tim Spiers, New York Times, 30 July 2025 Looted sacks of flour are sold in the market for exorbitant prices, unaffordable for these women and their children. Sarah El Sirgany, CNN Money, 30 July 2025 Too many diagnoses occur at late, less treatable stages, prompting exorbitant spending on end-of-life care instead of investment in cost-effective methods to extend health span and lifespan. Kim Praitano, Sun Sentinel, 29 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for exorbitant
Recent Examples of Synonyms for exorbitant
Adjective
  • Private equity can have expensive structures, excessive fees, long lock-up periods, and valuations that are notoriously stale—making liquidity (getting money out), and performance (assessing the actual performance) more opaque for investors.
    Sandy Carter, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2025
  • But around 50% of students feel that excessive reliance on AI could harm their academic performance, according to research from the Digital Education Council in 2024.
    Brittney Melton, NPR, 7 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • The costs of extreme weather, supply chain disruptions, and falling labor productivity are all visible on the horizon, with ample academic research to back them up.
    Justin Worland, Time, 16 Aug. 2025
  • The danger will remain at very high or extreme levels during the weekend and Monday, days when the heatwave affecting us since the beginning of the month continues.
    Mandy Taheri, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • Failure to comply can carry steep penalties, with fines ranging from thousands to millions of dollars.
    Sagi Eliyahu, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2025
  • Even if a cold spell follows warm weather, if the temperature has already been stabilized at 58 to 60 degrees those same steep banks and dams on the downwind shore are spots to bet on.
    Anthony A. Ciuffa, Outdoor Life, 7 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • It is woven not from extravagant ingredients or ornate presentations, but from resourcefulness, memory, and above all, love.
    Sami Tamimi August 6, Literary Hub, 6 Aug. 2025
  • According to Denver District Attorney, John Walsh $1.3 million of 300 investors’ money went to fund the pastor’s and his wife's extravagant lifestyle which included a home renovation, luxury handbags, cosmetic dentistry and a Range Rover.
    Steve Weisman, Forbes.com, 2 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • Amanda learned in like 10 seconds, which is insane.
    Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 24 Mar. 2025
  • The emu egg—a two pound, eight-inch ovoid with a sultry teal shell gently speckled in pale green—seemed like just the right absurdist final flourish for an already insane endeavor.
    Helen Rosner, The New Yorker, 23 Mar. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Exorbitant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/exorbitant. Accessed 19 Aug. 2025.

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