Exorbitant

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ɪɡˈzɔːbɪtənt/

Definitions

1. Markedly excessive in price or cost, often perceived as unfairly high
2. Exceeding the usual or reasonable limits in amount or extent, especially in terms of cost or charges
3. Going beyond what is customary or justified in price or expense, frequently implying an unjustifiable excess

Etymology: The image behind "exorbitant" is a wagon wheel that has jumped its rut. Latin "orbita" meant a wheel-track, and "exorbitare" meant to go out of that track, so the literal sense was physical deviation: a cart or wheel leaving its groove. The "ex-" prefix simply means "out", and "orbita" is the same root that gives us "orbit", a path traced around something. From that concrete image, Late Latin developed "exorbitans", a figurative sense of going beyond proper limits. The word reached English through Old French "exorbitant", and it arrived in Middle English carrying that sense of overstepping. Its modern meaning, a price or demand so high it exceeds all reason, is a natural extension: something that has left the track of fairness.

Synonyms: excessive, extravagant, unreasonable

Antonyms: reasonable, moderate