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Glite Dictionary
expensive

expensive

∞ 1.0
That costs a lot of money
  • adjective
  • /ɪkˈspɛnsɪv/
: caro
  • Living in the city can be expensive due to high rent prices.
  • too expensive
  • very expensive
  • more expensive

This is Apple's most expensive Mac Pro ever.

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Examples

  • This is Apple's most expensive Mac Pro ever.

    Linus Tech Tips

  • Food, gas, electricity, and water are all extremely expensive, and access to these goods is increasingly deteriorating.

    Academic text (2011)

  • I did not realize just how expensive it is.

  • Also, it's getting really expensive to find oil.

  • Why does everything have to be expensive for me?

    Maybe I Do (2023)

  • I mean, how much for an expensive plain white tea?

  • Old oil fields are producing less, and new fields are more expensive to develop.

    Academic text (2011)

  • The usual complaints: food was expensive, the people were rude, it drizzled every day.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • One of the most expensive components of the Shuttle system was the booster rocket.

    Academic text (2011)

  • This designer handbag is incredibly expensive, costing over a thousand dollars.

Synonyms

costly
vsexpensive
64 1.7

Expensive and costing a lot of money

is the basic general term for costing a large amount
pricey
vsexpensive
  • Informal
54 4.4

Costs a lot of money

is the neutral expression used in wider or formal situations
high-priced
vsexpensive
31 3.5

Costing a lot of money

is the general idea without stressing price setting
big-ticket
vsexpensive
15 5.1

Very expensive and costing a lot of money

is the general high price term not necessarily very large amounts
pricy
vsexpensive
  • US
9 4.0

Costing a lot of money

is the standard neutral form rather than a spelling variant
high-ticket
vsexpensive
  • US
1 6.5

Costing a large amount of money

is the general high cost concept without highlighting magnitude
spendy
vsexpensive
  • UK
1 8.2

Costing a lot of money

is the neutral formal expression without casual or slang tone

Antonyms

cheap
∞ 1.0

Costing little money compared with similar things

affordable
307 2.1

Not too expensive for most people to buy

Compounds

too expensive
74 2.0

Costs more money than someone can afford

expensive drunk
  • Offensive
9.9

A person who drinks too much and always buys expensive alcohol

How Expensive

exorbitant
25 7.9
costly
64 1.7
expensive
∞ 1.0
affordable
307 2.1
inexpensive
86 1.0
cheap
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

expensive positive
expensiver comparative
expensivest superlative

Morphology

expensive = expense (opaque) = ex + pens + ive

The word 'expensive' is derived from 'expense', but the prefix 'ex-' does not contribute to the meaning of 'high cost' in a transparent way.

Etymology

Expensive comes from Latin parts ex- 'out' and pendere 'to weigh' or 'to pay', and it is the same root as expense and expend. So expensive describes something that makes you 'pay out' a lot of money.