Basic Details
Word: Exorbitant
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Much too high, especially of a price, a fee or a demand.
Synonyms: excessive, steep, extortionate, outrageous
Antonyms: reasonable, cheap, moderate
How to Spell Exorbitant
Syllables: ex - or - bi - tant
Tricky part: There is no h after the x, though students often add one by mixing it up with exhort. The ending is ant, not ent.
Watch out for: exhorbitant, exorbitent, exorbetant
Memory tip: Exorbitant has orbit in the middle: ex + orbit + ant. A price that has flown out of its orbit is exorbitant.
Usage Examples
Example 1: The hotel near the beach charged an exorbitant price for a cup of tea.
Example 2: Papa refused to pay the exorbitant fee the agent asked for.
Example 3: Ticket prices for the final were exorbitant, so we watched it at home.
Fun Fact
In India, selling a packaged product for more than the maximum retail price (MRP) printed on it is against the law under the Legal Metrology rules.
Practise the CREST Way
Spell-o-Spell
Three words in the list are spelt correctly and one is misspelt. Choose the meaning of the misspelt word.
1. reasonable 2. bargain 3. discount 4. exhorbitant
a) much too high in price or amount
b) fair and sensible
c) something bought for less than it is worth
d) a reduction in the usual price
Show answer
a) much too high in price or amount. No h belongs after the x in exorbitant, so exhorbitant is the faulty one.
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word exorbitant as used in the sentence:
The taxi driver demanded an exorbitant fare for the short ride to the station.
a) reasonable
b) steep
c) excessive
d) outrageous
Show answer
a) reasonable. A reasonable fare is a fair one, nowhere near too high.
Word Cookie
Insert the correct letters to form a word:
exorb_t_nt
a) i, a
b) a, e
c) i, e
d) e, a
Show answer
a) i, a. Orbit gives the i, and the ending is ant, not ent.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which is an exorbitant price for one samosa?
a) ten rupees
b) five hundred rupees
c) fifteen rupees
d) twenty rupees
Show answer
b) five hundred rupees
2. Exorbitant is most often used to describe ____.
a) rain and wind
b) prices and demands
c) animals and birds
d) colours and shapes
Show answer
b) prices and demands
