Dictionary Thesaurus Word Dynamo Quotes Reference Translator Spanish

expensive

[ik-spen-siv]

Example Sentences Origin

adjective

entailing great expense; very high-priced; costly: an expensive party.

Origin:
1620–30; expense + -ive

Related forms

ex·pen·sive·ly, adverb

ex·pen·sive·ness, noun

qua·si-ex·pen·sive, adjective

qua·si-ex·pen·sive·ly, adverb

Can be confused: expansive, expensive (see synonym note at the current entry).

Synonyms
Expensive, costly, dear, high-priced apply to something that is high in price. Expensive is applied to whatever entails considerable expense; it suggests a price more than the average person would normally be able to pay or a price paid only for something special: an expensive automobile. Costly implies that the price is a large sum, usually because of the fineness, preciousness, etc., of the object: a costly jewel. Dear is commonly applied in England to something that is selling beyond its usual or just price. In the U.S., high-priced is the usual equivalent.

Antonyms
cheap, low-priced.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source

Link To expensive

:10

:09

:08

:07

:06

:05

:04

:03

:02

:01

Expensive is always a great word to know.

So is bezoar. Does it mean:

a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison.

a screen or mat covered with a dark material for shielding a camera lens from excess light or glare.

LEARN MORE UNUSUAL WORDS WITH WORD DYNAMO...

Example Sentences

The federal government is making school meals more nutritious this year, but also more expensive.

The machines in the factories were complex and expensive and becoming more so by the year.

And the longer before the plug is pulled, the more expensive.

EXPAND

The federal government is making school meals more nutritious this year, but also more expensive.

The machines in the factories were complex and expensive and becoming more so by the year.

And the longer before the plug is pulled, the more expensive.

The cells are expensive to produce because it takes a great deal of energy to purify the silicon.

Solar panels are far too limited and far too expensive for what they do.

Manned missions to space are incredibly expensive and don't serve any important purpose.

So, if you divide the number of times you wear each piece by the price, the more expensive piece was actually the better buy.

Generally, the more expensive cameras possess the best sensors.

Both of these changes would be discriminatory and ridiculously expensive.

The better suburban schools will be in the more expensive suburbs.

Proponents of the abolition bills describe the death penalty as an expensive programme with few benefits.

At first new breeds are expensive and only a few people can afford them.

Study subjects rated the same wine as tasting better when they were told it was more expensive.

Computers are expensive for teaching, and they will not become a major force in education for some time.

Although they're more expensive than the conically shaped ones, straight-sided cages are easier to use.

On a per-minute basis, no information available by telephone is more expensive than the predictions of phone psychics.

Obviously that student may want to consider a less expensive school.

Solar cells are still ten times too expensive for use in housing.

Ironically, those costs grow as rehabilitation is delayed and repair jobs become more difficult and expensive.

Moving billions of gallons of hydrocarbons around is expensive.

If it got too expensive id move somewhere cheaper rather then complain.

Rather scarce and expensive because of time more add to my plant list.

It's no secret that taking your phone overseas can be an expensive decision.

Expensive colleges need to be more aggressive in ensuring that its graduates are not buried with oppressive debt.

Expensive hotels actually do not have a lot of regards for their clients.

The expensive birds have radio transmitters attached and can be tracked.

The cost of capital punishment seems to result from the expensive legal proceedings necessary to secure a death sentence.

They can break apart cellulose's tough bonds in the lab, but the enzymes they use are wildly, prohibitively expensive.

If marauders still come after them, switch to less expensive goldfish.

They are views into the expensive tastes of heads of state from around the world.

One of the reasons for the increasing debt load is that construction is more expensive than in.

Heat pumps are expensive to install but they'll save you a bundle on your energy bill.

Similarly, donors are screened for infectious diseases as blood donors are, a time consuming and expensive process.

Then the police said it was too dangerous to walk around the neighborhood alone toting expensive camera gear.

Rather scarce and expensive because of time required to reach salable size.

Another way to limit production cost is to swap in less expensive though equally resilient materials.

Carbon sequestration is expensive for a number of reasons.

Although single-crystal cells offer high conversion efficiencies, they are expensive to make.

As stated, it can also save money on a service that has become outrageously expensive.

Large specimens can be expensive and tend to be snapped up by professional landscapers.

While contracts are often the only way to get the best phones, they can get pretty expensive.

However, converting such crops into ethanol is technically difficult and more expensive than using corn.

The silicon turns a good portion of light energy into electricity, but it is expensive because big crystals are hard to grow.

And as oil gets ever more scarce, it will get even more expensive and hard to obtain.

We're crossing our fingers that this will be miracle cure while also looking for a less expensive option.

If you are untenured, go with the less expensive model.

For decades, prototypes have typically been made by hand from drawings, a slow and expensive exercise.

At the adjacent table, peruse the dessert selection, with marzipan and expensive herbs and spices.

She paired the bargain finds with high-end partners, such as standard tiles with expensive faucets, to get the look she wanted.

Others are scaling back plans to build new facilities or invest in expensive programs.

Some carbon-reduction ideas are so expensive they should play no part in the policy mix.

Scott noticed a man with an expensive camera: clearly, a member of the news media.

Truly soft wines tend to come from top vineyards, so are fairly expensive.

Photocatalysts are potentially less expensive than solar cells and produce more hydrogen than microorganisms.

Maybe there's something useful still to come, but for now, this column describes nothing more than expensive alchemy.

Although a more expensive heating option up front, it's cost-effective in the long term.

The downside is that these fireworks are more expensive.

It can often be less expensive than buying a comparable off-the-shelf item.

But getting started with bees can be expensive if you use conventional hives.

In dry form, they're usually less expensive than their organic counterparts.

After that, the more water you use, the more expensive it gets.

All equally as stunning and chicThe concrete are the more expensive ones, but the aluminum styles are definitely a bargain.

Drilling the seabed is more expensive as it requires a specialized workforce and equipment.

On the downside, its underpowered processor means it can't hang with those more expensive computers.

What the high rollers want in a sake is something flagrantly expensive and difficult to find.

The solar panels are too expensive yet, to be economically viable.

The discovery could lead to less expensive opals in the.

Too often custom motorcycles are outrageously expensive exercises in exuberant excess that place form over function.

My questions, and answers, on what to tip when expensive wine inflates the tab at a restaurant.

When courses use only a portion of expensive books, it only makes matters worse.

Crafting is less expensive when you recycle materials and also is a good way to keep usable items from ending up our landfills.

Chemists have devised less expensive methods for tapping the energy potential of this ubiquitous element.

We've heard the sprays are expensive and need to be applied on a regular basis.

Runners who wear cheap running shoes have fewer injuries than those wearing expensive trainers.

But for mundane applications, it has always laboured under two expensive disadvantages.

Painting is the only way to prevent corrosion, but this is expensive and time consuming.

For the next two decades home movies were an expensive and at times demanding hobby.

But the voltaic pile was expensive and could be messy.

Opponents counter that it has created an expensive and time-consuming burden and.

They only want the bragging rights that come with a huge cellar full of expensive bottles with impressive labels.

Making navigational mistakes underground is expensive business too.

It is expensive to get there and go on a small yacht cruise but worth every single penny.

Build the frame from lumber, such as rot-resistant redwood or cedar or less expensive plywood or scrap lumber.

Video conferencing has long been hyped as the corporate killer app, but the technology has been glitch-prone and expensive.

Purified silicon, the basic material of such cells, is expensive.

Many have met success in this endeavor using complex processes and expensive materials.

People can finally afford some finer, more expensive pleasures.

BodyGuardz makes clear, scratch-proof covers to protect your expensive and delicate investments.

Usually non refundable tickets are way more expensive to go that route.

It could prove in the end every bit as expensive as.

For two decades poachers have slaughtered chiru by the thousands for their wool, which is finer and more expensive than cashmere.

But there is also nervousness in some quarters, as success will be expensive.

The project was too expensive or technologically unfeasible.

Currently, many startups simply rely on a recommendation from a friend or go with expensive counsel recommended by investors.

It is probably too expensive to connect you to the grid, so you.

Volcanologists and public officials agree that monitoring is important, but it's expensive and not feasible for many countries.

First, the cost of the silver makes the wires expensive.

With such wild stories about the origins of spices, it was no wonder that they were so expensive and sought-after.

The expensive bottles are on the top shelf, mid-range wines are on the middle shelf, and magnums and jug wines are on the.

They are expensive and simply not worth it”, is a ridiculous remark.

Cross-country moves are obviously more expensive than a regional relocation, and this cost can be estimated fairly well.

The problem has worsened since the proliferation of digital information has made discovery more complicated and expensive.

Its position as a booming global destination gives it a reputation for expensive taste, but.

Superhydrophobic coatings already in use often require expensive materials and time-intensive application procedures.

Offering the scholarships was-and is-an expensive proposition.

Cash-strapped museums often rely on private donors to fund the acquisition of expensive pieces.

And then there are those to whom it seems a ridiculously expensive hobby that drains money and.

The ticket is more expensive now but otherwise this could be have been broadcast yesterday.

Canada's vast oil sand reserves were once deemed too expensive and too damaging to the land for large-scale mining.

It is a shame that pre-history and history gets destroyed because someone makes rules that are hard or too expensive to follow.

Some uni bookstores now sell framing kits around commencement time, if you think that professional framing is too expensive.

No need to buy a big, expensive parka to stay dry in the rain.

As fuel gets more expensive these technologies will become more attractive.

The deer zappers are expensive and you need a bunch of them to work.

In cases where sewage sludge is used, expensive chemical fertilizer use can be avoided, he said.

Our insurance totally denied our claim for a prosthetic arm and they are quite expensive.

Don't flaunt expensive jewelry or gear or wear revealing clothing.

It can be expensive for islands to do business, and difficult to compete with mainland countries.

The moon is not being mined for rare or expensive elements.

My step sister used to dry clean her expensive jeans to keep them nicer longer, but freezing them is ridiculous.

Genetic testing, for instance, is hugely expensive right now.

Some of the more expensive telescopes are even automated:.

The gas and petroleum is getting expensive at the level that other energy sources are cheaper.

When natural gas gets more expensive food supply will cost too much.

They tried that at my school, and the school is in such an expensive area that many people live in long-distance areas.

COLLAPSE

Collins

World English Dictionary

expensive (ɪkˈspɛnsɪv)

—*adj*
	high-priced; costly; dear

ex'pensively

—*adv*

ex'pensiveness

—n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source

Etymonline

Word Origin & History

expensive

1628, "given to profuse expenditure," from expense + -ive. Main modern meaning "costly" is from 1630s.

Word Dynamo By Dictionary.com

Searching for expensive?
How many words do you actually know?

FIND OUT

copycat costly dear downscale effect entry-level

Matching Quote

"The American man is a very simple and cheap mechanism. The American woman I find a complicated and expensive one. Contrasts of feminine types are possible. I am not absolutely sure that there is more than one American man."

-Henry Brooks Adams

Partners:Word Bloglines Citysearch The Daily Beast Ask Answers Ask Kids Life123 Sendori Thesaurus

About Privacy Policy Terms of Use API Careers Advertise with Us Contact Us Help