Expensive

/ɪkˈspɛnsɪv/

adjectiveBeginner🔥Very CommonQuality
1 meaning2 idioms/phrases2 questions

Definitions

1

Costing or requiring a great deal of money; high-priced.

/ɪkˈspɛnsɪv/

adjectiveneutralBeginner
Quality

Costing a great deal of money; high-priced.

The luxury car was very expensive.

💡 Simply: Imagine you want to buy a toy, but it costs way more money than the other toys. That's expensive! Like, a super fancy robot is expensive.

👶 For kids: When something costs a lot of money, it's expensive!

More Examples

2

Eating at that restaurant is expensive.

3

The hotel room was surprisingly expensive.

How It's Used

Business

"The company decided to invest in expensive new equipment."

Consumer Goods

"The diamond necklace was incredibly expensive."

Travel

"Traveling to Europe can be quite expensive."

Synonyms & Antonyms

Idioms & expressions

at an expense

At the cost or loss of something else.

"He pursued his ambition at the expense of his family life."

expensive taste

A preference for high-quality or luxurious items.

"She has expensive taste, always buying designer clothes."

From Late Latin *expensivus*, meaning 'costly, expensive', from Latin *expendere* ('to weigh out, pay out').

The word 'expensive' has been used in English since the early 17th century, evolving from its Latin roots.

Memory tip

Think of a fancy car - it's EXPENSIVE because of all the special features and materials.

Word Origin

LanguageLatin
Original meaning

"to weigh out, pay out"

expensive carexpensive restaurantexpensive itemexpensive habitexpensive lifestyle

Common misspellings

expenciveexpenssive

Usage

60%Spoken
40%Written