Inexpensive means costing relatively little money. When something is inexpensive, you can buy it without spending much or straining your budget. A pack of pencils might be inexpensive, while a new laptop is expensive.

The word tells you about value in relation to cost. An inexpensive lunch might cost a few dollars, while an expensive dinner at a fancy restaurant could cost ten times as much. What counts as inexpensive depends partly on context: an inexpensive car still costs thousands of dollars, but that's cheap compared to most cars.

Notice that inexpensive isn't the same as cheap. Cheap can suggest poor quality or something that breaks easily, while inexpensive simply means it doesn't cost much. A well-made backpack on sale might be inexpensive and still last for years. Your parents might look for inexpensive options when shopping, finding good-quality items that fit the family budget. The opposite of inexpensive is expensive, costly, or pricey.