high-priced
Adjective 1. Having a high price; expensive: Used to describe goods, services, or items that cost a lot of money. - The store sells high-priced designer clothing. - We avoided the high-priced hotels in the city center.
The adjective "high-priced" directly modifies a noun to indicate its cost is high. It is typically used before the noun it describes (attributive position). It is a neutral, descriptive term, though it often implies the item may be expensive relative to similar items or to the speaker's budget.
- Attributive use (before a noun):
- The company is known for its high-priced luxury cars.
- Repairs on the vintage watch were high-priced but necessary.
- They dined at a high-priced seafood restaurant.
Comparative and Superlative Forms: While "more high-priced" and "most high-priced" are grammatically correct, the simpler synonyms "more expensive" and "most expensive" are far more common in modern usage.
- This model is more high-priced than the basic version. (Less common)
- This model is more expensive than the basic version. (More common)
Implied Context: The term often carries an implied comparison or judgment about value.
- The software is powerful, but its high-priced subscription deters individual users. (Implies it is expensive compared to alternatives or expectations.)
- Pricey (also Pricy) (adjective): Informal synonym for expensive or high-priced.
- That neighborhood has become very pricey.
- Costly (adjective): Expensive; involving great cost or loss. Can imply more severe consequences than just monetary expense.
- The project was delayed by a costly mistake.
- Dear (adjective, chiefly British): Expensive. (Note: "Dear" has other primary meanings, such as "beloved.")
- Fruit is particularly dear at this time of year.
- Expensive
- Costly
- Dear (chiefly British)
- Pricey (informal)
- Exorbitant (implies a price that is unreasonably high)
- Inexpensive
- Cheap
- Low-priced
- Affordable
- Economical
- "High-priced" vs. "Expensive": "High-priced" is slightly more formal and descriptive, often used in commercial or analytical contexts. "Expensive" is the most common and versatile term in everyday language.
- Hyphenation: The hyphen is standard when the compound adjective precedes a noun (e.g., ). It may be omitted in predicate position (e.g., ), though the hyphenated form is still preferred for clarity.
- having a high price
- costly jewelry
- high-priced merchandise
- much too dear for my pocketbook
- a pricey restaurant