What does exorbitant mean?
Exorbitant is an adjective used to describe amounts — especially prices, fees, and charges — that are unreasonably or shockingly high, far beyond what fairness or custom would allow. Calling something exorbitant does more than note expense; it passes judgment, implying greed, exploitation, or a flagrant disregard for what is reasonable. A five-dollar bottle of water sold at an airport, punitive interest on a payday loan, or a hotel's surcharge for Wi-Fi might all fairly be called exorbitant. The word derives from Latin exorbitare, meaning to go off the beaten track or out of the normal course, so its figurative force — exceeding all proper bounds — is baked into its history. It carries a formal or semi-formal register and appears constantly in journalism, consumer advocacy, and everyday complaint alike. Its derivatives include the adverb exorbitantly and the noun exorbitance. For anyone describing runaway costs with precision and bite, exorbitant remains an indispensable word.
adjective(Of a price, amount, or charge) unreasonably high; greatly exceeding what is fair, usual, or acceptable.
- (Of prices, fees, demands, or amounts) unreasonably or outrageously high; exceeding all fair or normal limits.
- (Figurative, less common) Going beyond what is proper or customary in degree; extravagant or immoderate.
"The hotel charged an exorbitant fee for late checkout."
"Ten dollars for a cup of coffee is simply exorbitant."
"The company came under fire for charging exorbitant interest on short-term loans."
Exorbitant literally means 'off the tracks' — from Latin orbita, a wheel rut — so an exorbitant price is one that has careened clean off the road.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of exorbitant
Exorbitant comes from Latin exorbitans, the present participle of exorbitare, formed from ex- ('out of') and orbita ('wheel track' or 'rut', itself related to orbis, 'circle'). Its original sense was literal — deviating from the prescribed track — and it entered English in the early 17th century already carrying the figurative sense of departing from what is right or customary. The modern restriction to excessive cost developed from this idea of exceeding proper bounds. It shares its root with the English words orbit and orbital.
Related word forms
How exorbitant is actually used
Exorbitant is a formal-to-neutral word carrying strong negative connotation: it implies not merely high cost but unfairness or greed. It almost always modifies things involving money or payment (prices, fees, rents, interest, fines), though it can extend metaphorically to excessive demands or expectations.
Easily confused with exorbitant
Despite a faint visual similarity, 'expedient' means convenient or practical under the circumstances, whereas 'exorbitant' means unreasonably excessive in amount.