Meaning & use
overpriced
Last updated
UK/ˌəʊvəˈpraɪst/
US/ˌoʊvərˈpraɪst/
Meaning
adjectivecomparable
Costing more than it is worth, or more than similar things normally cost.
Grammar: Before a noun or after be: an overpriced meal, the meal was overpriced.
Patterns
- overpriced for something
The restaurant was nice but overpriced.
I think these sneakers are overpriced for what you get.
Tourists often end up buying overpriced souvenirs.
Common combinations
- wildly overpriced
- The hotel was wildly overpriced for a small room.
- hopelessly overpriced
- The tickets were hopelessly overpriced.
- grossly overpriced
- Critics called the software grossly overpriced.
- overpriced and underwhelming
- The dessert was overpriced and underwhelming.
Synonyms and how they differ
- expensive
- This only says the price is high, not that the value fails to justify it.
- exorbitant
- This is stronger and more formal, describing a price that is outrageously high.
- pricey
- This is informal and mild, saying something costs a lot without necessarily criticizing it.
Opposites
underpriceda bargain
Word family
Commonly confused: overpriced or expensive?
overpriced vs expensive
Expensive just means high in cost, while overpriced says the cost is unfair for what you get.
Practice
A coffee that costs three times its usual price for no good reason is ___.
Choose one answer.
Overpriced means charging more than something is worth. Discounted means the opposite, a lower price.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “overpriced”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.
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