Pricey means expensive or costing more than you'd expect. When something is pricey, it makes your wallet feel lighter than you'd like. A pricey restaurant might charge $30 for a hamburger, while a pricey toy might cost twice what similar toys cost.

The word carries a slightly different feeling than just saying “expensive.” Pricey suggests that something costs more than it should, or that you're surprised by how much it costs. You might say a movie ticket is pricey when it costs $15 instead of the $10 you remember from last year. Or you might call new sneakers pricey when they're $120 instead of the $60 you were hoping to spend.

People use pricey in a casual, conversational way. It's the kind of word you'd use when shopping with a friend: “These headphones look great, but they're pretty pricey.” The word hints that you're thinking carefully about whether something is worth the cost. When you call something pricey, you're stating a fact about its cost while also reacting to it with mild surprise or disappointment.