exorbitant
adjective
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How Was exorbitant First Used?
The first use of "exorbitant" in English was "wandering or deviating from the normal or ordinary course." That sense is now archaic, but it provides a hint as to the origins of "exorbitant": the word derives from Late Latin exorbitans, the present participle of the verb exorbitare, meaning "to deviate." "Exorbitare" in turn was formed by combining the prefix ex-, meaning "out of," with the noun orbita, meaning "track of a wheel or "rut." ("Orbita" itself traces back to "orbis," the Latin word for "disk" or "hoop.") In the 15th century "exorbitant" came to refer to something which fell outside of the normal or intended scope of the law. Eventually, it developed an extended sense as a synonym of "excessive."
Synonyms
- baroque
- devilish
- excessive
- extravagant
- extreme
- fancy
- immoderate
- inordinate
- insane
- intolerable
- lavish
- overdue
- overextravagant
- overmuch
- overweening
- plethoric
- steep
- stiff
- towering
- unconscionable
- undue
- unmerciful
Example Sentences
Hannah Beech, Time, 27 Oct. 2003 As with the black truffle, foie gras is as exorbitant ($52 a pound) as it is decadent (one gram of foie gras can reportedly be 900 calories). Heather Morgan, Traveler, April 2000 … I recommend that the Congress adopt … [a] continuation of the law for the renegotiation of war contracts—which will prevent exorbitant profits and assure fair prices to the Government. Franklin D. Roosevelt 11 Jan. 1944, in Nothing to Fear by B. D. Zevin, 1946 They were charged exorbitant rates for phone calls. the cost of our stay was so exorbitant you would have thought that we had bought the hotel and not just spent a few nights there Gary Washburn, BostonGlobe.com, 9 July 2022 In Brookside, reporting by AL.com’s John Archibald revealed how the tiny town’s police force mobilized to extract exorbitant fines and fees from local drivers and people passing by on the interstates. Al.com Staff, al, 30 Aug. 2022 European oil major Shell cautioned that Europe may have to brace for a string of winters with exorbitant power bills and electricity rationing as Russia squeezes gas supplies. BostonGlobe.com, 29 Aug. 2022 After all, hardly any of us would have to pay that exorbitant rate. George Skelton, Los Angeles Times, 18 Aug. 2022 Falling prices means there are likely fewer first-time investors entering the market right now, Chainalysis writes—and, by extension, fewer gullible newbies for scammers to entice with their typical promise of quick and exorbitant returns. Marco Quiroz-gutierrez, Fortune, 16 Aug. 2022 Congressional Republicans hammered the bill as an exorbitant spending package with damaging tax hikes that would inflict more pain on the nation’s economy at a perilous moment. Emily Cochrane, New York Times, 7 Aug. 2022 The new Sky and DAZN deal, which kicks in on Aug. 8, comes after Telecom Italia renegotiated its exorbitant partnership with DAZN, giving up its exclusive right to host DAZN on its TimVision streaming platform. Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 4 Aug. 2022 Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund is the primary source of the money paying exorbitant signing bonuses and providing $25 million purses for 48-man fields. Doug Ferguson, Chicago Tribune, 3 Aug. 2022 See More Word History
Middle English, from Late Latin exorbitant-, exorbitans, present participle of exorbitare to deviate, from Latin ex- + orbita track of a wheel, rut, from orbis disk, hoop
15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Kids Definition
exorbitant
adjective
exorbitant
adjective
Synonyms & Similar Words
- excessive
- extravagant
- extreme
- steep
- insane
- lavish
- endless
- inordinate
- undue
- infinite
- intolerable
- unconscionable
- immoderate
- plethoric
- fancy
- unbearable
- baroque
- inappropriate
- overmuch
- overdue
- overweening
- improper
- unwarranted
- stiff
- overextravagant
- unjustifiable
- towering
- limitless
- unmerciful
- devilish
- immeasurable
- a bit much
- over the top
- boundless
- unseemly
- thick
- unrestrained
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- reasonable
- modest
- inadequate
- insufficient
- moderate
- minimal
- minimum
- middling
- deficient
- temperate
Synonym Chooser
Some common synonyms of exorbitant are excessive, extravagant, extreme, immoderate, and inordinate. While all these words mean "going beyond a normal limit," exorbitant implies a departure from accepted standards regarding amount or degree.
Although the words excessive and exorbitant have much in common, excessive implies an amount or degree too great to be reasonable or acceptable.
The words extravagant and exorbitant are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, extravagant implies an indifference to restraints imposed by truth, prudence, or good taste.
The meanings of extreme and exorbitant largely overlap; however, extreme may imply an approach to the farthest limit possible or conceivable but commonly means only to a notably high degree.
The words immoderate and exorbitant can be used in similar contexts, but immoderate implies lack of desirable or necessary restraint.
The synonyms inordinate and exorbitant are sometimes interchangeable, but inordinate implies an exceeding of the limits dictated by reason or good judgment.