expensive
- Adjective:
- Costing a lot of money; having a high price: Used to describe goods, services, or experiences that require a significant amount of money to purchase or obtain.
- Involving great expense; lavish: Can describe something that involves considerable financial outlay or is characterized by luxury.
The adjective "expensive" is used to modify nouns, indicating that the item or service has a high monetary cost. It is the opposite of "cheap" or "inexpensive." It is typically used in a neutral or negative context to state a fact about price, but can sometimes imply quality or desirability.
Basic Usage:
- This restaurant is too expensive for my budget.
- She bought an expensive leather handbag.
- Housing in the city center is very expensive.
Comparative and Superlative Forms:
- This model is more expensive than the basic one.
- That was the most expensive meal I've ever had.
"to be expensive to maintain/run": Describes something that costs a lot of money for ongoing care or operation.
- Sports cars are expensive to maintain.
"prohibitively expensive": So costly that it prevents most people from buying or doing it.
- Private healthcare is prohibitively expensive for many families.
Expensively (adverb): In a costly manner.
- She was expensively dressed.
Expensiveness (noun): The quality of being expensive (less common).
- The expensiveness of the neighborhood is well-known.
- Costly: Involving great cost or expense (can also imply serious negative consequences).
- Pricey (informal): Expensive.
- High-priced: Having a high price.
- Dear (chiefly British): Costing a lot of money.
- Cheap: Low in price.
- Inexpensive: Not costing a great deal; reasonably priced.
- Affordable: Inexpensive enough that most people can buy or pay for it.
"Pay an expensive price": To suffer serious negative consequences for an action, not necessarily monetary.
- He paid an expensive price for his dishonesty when he lost his job.
"Expensive taste": A preference for things that are costly.
- She has expensive taste in wine.
- high in price or charging high prices
- expensive clothes
- an expensive shop