expensive

expensive
expensively, adv.expensiveness, n.
/ik spen"siv/, adj.
entailing great expense; very high-priced; costly: an expensive party.
[1620-30; EXPENSE + -IVE]
Syn. 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.
Ant. cheap, low-priced.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • expensive — ex‧pen‧sive [ɪkˈspensɪv] adjective 1. costing a lot of money: • expensive computer equipment • Many manufacturers would find setting up their own High Street stores prohibitively expensive (= so expensive that they could not afford it ) . 2.… …   Financial and business terms

  • Expensive — Ex*pen sive, a. 1. Occasioning expense; calling for liberal outlay; costly; dear; liberal; as, expensive dress; an expensive house or family. [1913 Webster] War is expensive, and peace desirable. Burke. [1913 Webster] 2. Free in expending; very… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • expensive — index exorbitant, invaluable, priceless, prohibitive (costly), valuable Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

  • expensive — 1620s, given to profuse expenditure, from EXPENSE (Cf. expense) + IVE (Cf. ive). Meaning costly is from 1630s. Earlier was expenseful (c.1600). Expenseless was in use mid 17c. 18c., but there seems nothing now to which it applies, and the… …   Etymology dictionary

  • expensive — *costly, dear, valuable, precious, invaluable, priceless Analogous words: exorbitant, extravagant, *excessive, immoderate Antonyms: inexpensive …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • expensive — [adj] high priced an arm and a leg*, at a premium, big ticket*, costly, dear, excessive, exorbitant, extravagant, fancy, high, highway robbery*, holdup*, immoderate, inordinate, invaluable, lavish, out of sight*, overpriced, plush, posh, pretty… …   New thesaurus

  • expensive — ► ADJECTIVE ▪ costing a lot of money. DERIVATIVES expensively adverb expensiveness noun …   English terms dictionary

  • expensive — [ek spen′siv, ikspen′siv] adj. requiring or involving much expense; high priced; dear SYN. COSTLY expensively adv. expensiveness n …   English World dictionary

  • expensive — ex|pen|sive W2S1 [ıkˈspensıv] adj costing a lot of money ≠ ↑cheap ▪ the most expensive restaurant in town ▪ Petrol is becoming more and more expensive. ▪ Photography is an expensive hobby. expensive to buy/run/produce/maintain etc ▪ The house was …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • expensive — /Ik spensIv/ adjective 1 costing a lot of money: That s a very expensive camera. Is it insured? | the most expensive restaurant in town | expensive to produce/run/buy etc: Cadillacs are beautiful cars but expensive to run. | prohibitively… …   Longman dictionary of contemporary English

  • expensive — adj. VERBS ▪ be, look, prove, seem, sound ▪ Her suit looked extremely expensive. ▪ become, get …   Collocations dictionary

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