adj
expensive
ihk-SPEHN-sihv
adj
1
Costing a lot of money.
"That restaurant is too expensive for a casual dinner."
"Designer handbags can be incredibly expensive."
2
Requiring a large amount of time, effort, or resources (used figuratively).
"Running that database query is computationally expensive."
How to Use Expensive
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishCostly — either in money, or, more loosely, in time and effort.
Common pairings
expensive taste
an expensive mistake
prohibitively expensive
Word Forms
more expensive comparative, most expensive superlative
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Etymology
From Latin expendere ("to pay out"), the same root as "expend"; has largely replaced the older word "dear" in the sense of "costly."