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exorbitant

UK/ɪɡˈzɔːbɪtənt/US/ɪɡˈzoɹbətənt/
adjectiveC1Occasional — familiar, but not everyday · #11,560 of 15,258neutral

Exorbitant means far higher in price than is reasonable. Exorbitant fees, an exorbitant rent, exorbitant charges.

It belongs to prices almost exclusively, and it is a judgement rather than a measure. The Latin means off the track, from orbita, a wheel rut, so an exorbitant price has left the ordinary course.

Definitions of exorbitant

  1. 1adjectiveexorbitantFar higher in price than is reasonable.C1

    “The hotel charges exorbitant prices for a bottle of water.”

exorbitant is a quality.

Where it comes from

Latin exorbitare means to go out of the track, from ex- plus orbita, a wheel rut.

  1. Latin

    exorbitāns

  2. Middle English

    exorbitant

  3. English, today

    exorbitant

Built from

  • exorbitō · Latin — to go out of the track
  • ex · Latin — out
  • orbita · Latin — wheel-track

From Middle English exorbitant, through Old French - from Latin exorbitāns, present active participle of exorbitō (“to go out of the track”), from ex (“out”) + orbita (“wheel-track”); see orbit. Compare French exorbitant.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA

Practise this word

exorbitant in the wild

  • Debt consolidation is sometimes offered by loan sharks, charging clients exorbitant interest rates.

    Debt consolidation

  • The original cost to build the house was an exorbitant $25,000.

    VanDyke–Libby House

  • The death care industry in the United States is controversial due to the exorbitant costs of services, as well as the adverse impact of common U.S. funeral practices.

    Death care industry in the United States

  • However, in May 1922, the USFA directed a change in venue after the fees to be charged by the field became exorbitant.

    1921–22 National Challenge Cup

  • The Dutch Republic had exorbitant privilege in the 17th and early 18th century.

    Exorbitant privilege

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. These sentences were written by other people about their own subjects; they are here to show the word at work, not as anybody’s opinion.

Related words

the orbita family

orbit

exorbitant — used about once every 9,395 pages · #11,560 · point at the bar for the others