expensive synonyms

expensive

modif.

costly, high-priced, dear, precious, valuable, invaluable, rare, prized, choice, rich, priceless, high, too high, overpriced, uneconomical, unreasonable, exorbitant, extortionate, fancy, extravagant, upscale, up-market, deluxe, beyond one's means, at a premium, at great cost, worth a king's ransom*, worth a pretty penny*, sky-high*, steep*, stiff*, big-ticket*, pricey*, out of sight*.

Antonyms inexpensive, cheap*, low.

expensive implies having a price that is high in relation to others of its kind or that is in excess of the thing's worth or the purchaser's ability to pay an expensive car; costly refers to something high in price and usually implies richness, magnificence, rareness, etc. costly gems: it is often applied to that which it would cost much in money or effort to correct or replace a costly error; dear, less often used today in the U.S., implies an exorbitant price or one considerably beyond the normal or fair price meat was very dear at the time; valuable, in this connection, implies such great value as to bring a high price a valuable collection; invaluable suggests value so great that it cannot be appraised in monetary terms invaluable aid

Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.