Overpriced

How to spell overpriced

10 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce overpriced

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does overpriced mean?

1. adjectiveCosting more than the item or service is actually worth.

Overpriced in a sentence

• The hotel minibar is wildly overpriced compared to the shop next door.

• Customers complained that the spare parts were badly overpriced.

Where does overpriced come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This is a transparent English compound built from the prefix 'over-', meaning 'too much' or 'beyond a proper limit', joined to 'price'. The word 'price' itself reached English in the 1200s through Old French 'pris', which came from the Latin 'pretium', meaning 'value, worth, or reward'. The same Latin root quietly survives in words such as 'precious' and 'appreciate', all of which circle the idea of assigning worth to something. Adding the native English 'over-' produced an adjective describing something whose cost runs higher than its real value, a usage that became common as consumer commerce expanded. The spelling is regular once you remember it is 'price' plus a final '-d', so the tricky part is simply hearing the 'c' that 'price' contributes before the silent ending.

How the word is built

• over- (excessively, beyond)
• price (cost, from Latin pretium 'value, reward')
• -d (past-participle/adjective ending)