Words / B2

in-ik-SPENS-iv/ˌɪnɪkˈspensɪv/

Inexpensive means low in price, more neutral than cheap: an inexpensive drive; inexpensive housing. Cheap can suggest poor quality. An inexpensive USB drive is still better than emailing coursework. Formal shopping and economics. Do not call a luxury brand inexpensive ironically unless you mark the tone.

Meaning

Low in price; a more neutral word than cheap.

Examples

• “An inexpensive USB drive is still better than emailing coursework.”
• “Inexpensive options were listed for the trip, which is the finance-letter sense.”

Good to know

inexpensive + noun. Blunter: cheap (quality risk). Opposite: expensive. Neutral register. Letters, consumer, and fieldwork budgets.

Near in meaning

cheap

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