How do you pronounce expensive?

The recorded pronunciation is /ɪkˈspɛn.sɪv/.

expensive

/ɪkˈspɛn.sɪv/

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: 4.69 in modern English

Syllables: ex-pen-sive
IPA: /ɪkˈspɛn.sɪv/

Scrabble Score

Letters

Syllables

Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Having a high price or cost.

adj

Taking a lot of system time or resources.

adj

Given to expending a lot of money; profligate, lavish.

Obsolete

adj

Having a high economy rate.

Example Sentences

"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."
"In Starbucks’s case, the firm has in effect turned the process of making an expensive cup of coffee into intellectual property."
"an unnecessarily expensive choice of algorithm"
"[…] 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); […]"
"[…] thus naturally generous and expenſive, he ſquandered away his money, and made a moſt ſplendid appearance upon the receipt of his quarterly appointment; […]"
"'His character is now before you — expensive, dissipated, and worse than both […]'"

Etymology

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

Origin

Source language: Latin

Word Breakdown

Root: *expēnsīvus

Usage

Obsolete

Inflected Forms

more expensive (comparative) most expensive (superlative) expencive (alternative, archaic)

Derived Forms

expenny expensively expensiveness inexpensive nonexpensive spenno spenny spensive 'spensive superexpensive ultraexpensive unexpensive

Phrases

expensive drunk it's too expensive an arm and a leg cost-conscious no-frills give one's eye-teeth give one's left nut give one's right arm

Frequently Paired Words

expend expenditure expense overpriced $$$ an arm and a leg cost-conscious exorbitant

Synonyms

costly high-priced pricey dear 5-star big-ticket chargeful cheap at half the price costful cost-prohibitive fancy dearthful

Antonyms

cheap inexpensive low-priced economical affordable attainable bargain budget discount econo- jitney low-end

Rhymes With

extensive offensive defensive comprehensive intensive inexpensive apprehensive pensive inoffensive hypertensive counteroffensive suspensive