expensive

 

• expencive (archaic)

From Latin *expēnsīvus, from expendō (“to weigh out (money), to pay out”) (whence English expend).^[1] By surface analysis, expense +‎ -ive. In the sense of "high-priced" has largely displaced dear.

• (General American, Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ɪkˈspɛnsɪv/, /ɛkˈspɛnsɪv/

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expensive (comparative more expensive, superlative most expensive)

1. Having a high price or cost.

   Synonyms: costly, high-priced, pricey, dear; see also Thesaurus:expensive

   Antonyms: cheap, inexpensive, low-priced

   • 2006, Edwin Black, “The Plan Against Oil”, in Internal Combustion: How Corporations and Governments Addicted the World to Oil and Derailed the Alternatives, New York: St. Martin's Press, →ISBN, page 2:

     If successful, Edison and Ford—in 1914—would move society away from the ever more expensive and then universally known killing hazards of gasoline cars: air and water pollution, noise and noxiousness, constant coughing and the undeniable rise in cancers caused by smoke exhaust particulates.

   • 2013 June 22, “The G8 summit: T time”, in The Economist‎^[1], London: The Economist Group, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2013-07-09:

     In Starbucks’s case, the firm has in effect turned the process of making an expensive cup of coffee into intellectual property.

2. (computing) Taking a lot of system time or resources.

   an unnecessarily expensive choice of algorithm

3. (obsolete) Given to expending a lot of money; profligate, lavish.
   • 1748, [Samuel Richardson], “Letter IV. Miſs Clarissa Harlowe, To Miſs Howe.”, in Clarissa. Or, The History of a Young Lady: […], volume I, London: […] S[amuel] Richardson;  […], →OCLC, page 22:

     […] And that he looked into his own affairs, and underſtood them; That he had, when abroad, been very expenſive; and contracted a large debt (for he made no ſecret of his affairs); […]

   • 1751, [Tobias] Smollett, chapter XXV, in The Adventures of Peregrine Pickle […], volume I, London: Harrison and Co., […], →OCLC, page 186:

     […] thus naturally generous and expenſive, he ſquandered away his money, and made a moſt ſplendid appearance upon the receipt of his quarterly appointment; […]

4. (cricket) Having a high economy rate.

   Antonym: economical

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