What does pricy mean?
Pricy is an informal adjective meaning costly, especially more expensive than seems reasonable or desirable. It is common in British and American speech and is often used for restaurants, hotels, clothing, entertainment, and other everyday purchases. A speaker might describe something as “a bit pricy” to suggest that its price is somewhat high, or “far too pricy” to express stronger disapproval. The word is less formal than expensive and can convey a personal judgment rather than a neutral financial description. Its spelling alternative, pricey, is particularly familiar in British usage. Pricy is also a useful example of how familiar English words can be adapted with a suffix to create a concise, conversational evaluation. Historically, it was formed from the noun price by adding the suffix -y. The underlying word price comes through Old French from Latin pretium, meaning “price” or “value.” Although pricy has a relatively limited range of meaning, it fills a useful gap between the neutral word expensive and more strongly negative expressions such as overpriced.
adjectivePricy means higher in price than expected, desired, or considered reasonable. It is used chiefly in informal speech.
- Costing a great deal, especially more than the speaker thinks is reasonable.
"The little restaurant around the corner is excellent, but rather pricy for a weekday lunch."
"The hotel is beautifully located, but the nightly rate is a little pricy."
"For a beginner’s bicycle, that model seems far too pricy."
Pricy is the conversational warning that something may make your wallet flinch.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does pricy come from?
Pricy was formed in English by adding the suffix -y to price, following the productive English pattern of creating adjectives from nouns. Price itself was borrowed through Old French from Latin pretium, meaning “price” or “value.” The alternative spelling pricey also developed from the same base and has the same pronunciation. English has several other related forms, including priceless, pricing, and pricer, all built on the same historical root.
How pricy is actually used
Pricy is informal and common in everyday British and American English. It often suggests that the speaker considers a price excessive rather than merely stating that the item is expensive; the spelling variant pricey is also widely used.
Easily confused with pricy
Pricy describes something that costs a great deal, while picky describes a person who is difficult to please or overly selective.
Pricey is a variant spelling of pricy, with the same meaning and pronunciation.