expensive - Master This Word

expensive Word Meanings

• costing a lot of money.
• high-priced.
• difficult to afford.

expensive Example Sentences

Example sentences are the start of understanding. Don't rush to memorize. First feel how the word works in a sentence.

• This watch is very expensive.
• Her dress is too expensive for me.
• Cars can be expensive to buy.
• That restaurant is known for its expensive food.
• I can't afford an expensive phone.

expensive Word Etymology

expensive = ex- (out) + pendere (to weigh). Origin: Latin → Old French → English. Imagine holding a gold scale, weighing something heavy that costs a fortune.

English Brain Route

I reach for the price tag on the jacket and hold it up to the light. The numbers move in my head as I pull back a little and adjust my plan. This jacket feels expensive, so I turn away and keep my budget steady. I place the tag back and let the decision settle.

Real Context

Expensive describes something that costs a lot of money, often more than the speaker considers reasonable. It can refer to a single item, like an expensive watch, or to the total price of an experience, like an expensive restaurant bill. In everyday use, you contrast expensive with cheap or affordable, but beware that something can be expensive in one context yet still be considered a good value in another if it lasts a long time or provides strong quality. The word can also carry a subjective tone, implying a degree of disapproval or surprise at the price.

Usage Reminders

• - Use expensive to describe price, not emotion or people.
• - Compare expensive with cheap or affordable, not with quality.
• - Pair with concrete nouns: expensive car, expensive meal, expensive ticket.
• - Be aware of tone: expensive can imply mild annoyance or astonishment.
• - Don’t use expensive for freebies or discounts; say ‘free’ or ‘discounted’ instead.

Common Misconceptions

• Expensive always means luxury or high-end quality.
• Something expensive is automatically worth the price.
• You can use expensive for feelings or abstract ideas.
• Expensive and costly are always interchangeable.
• Expensive describes people or emotions.

Thinking Differences

To English speakers, expensive foregrounds price as a concrete numeric burden and often contrasts with cheap or affordable items. Learners may overgeneralize expensive to imply top quality or to use it with abstract concepts, misplacing it in phrases like expensive idea. Focus on concrete nouns and tone.

Learning Tips

• Practice with noun pairs: expensive car vs cheap car.
• Notice tone cues: expensive can imply reluctance or surprise.
• Compare with costly to describe price vs consequences.
• Use collocations: expensive meal, expensive ticket, expensive jacket.
• Avoid applying expensive to abstract ideas.
• Check regional usage; some contexts prefer pricey or dear.

5-Step Learning Method - Learn English in English

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