as ‧ tro ‧ nom ‧ i ‧ cal /ˌæstrəˈnɒmɪk ə l◂ $ -ˈnɑː-/ BrE AmE adjective
1 . informal astronomical prices, costs etc are extremely high
2 . [only before noun] relating to the scientific study of the stars
—astronomically /-kli/ adverb :
astronomically high rents
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THESAURUS
▪ expensive costing a lot of money:
an expensive car
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Apartments in the city are very expensive.
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An underground train system is expensive to build.
▪ high costing a lot of money.You use high about rents/fees/prices/costs. Don’t use expensive with these words:
Rents are very high in this area.
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Lawyers charge high fees.
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the high cost of living in Japan
▪ dear [not before noun] British English spoken expensive compared to the usual price:
£3.50 seems rather dear for a cup of coffee.
▪ pricey /ˈpraɪsi/ informal expensive:
The clothes are beautiful but pricey.
▪ costly expensive in a way that wastes money:
Upgrading the system would be very costly.
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They were anxious to avoid a costly legal battle.
▪ cost a fortune informal to be very expensive:
The necklace must have cost a fortune!
▪ exorbitant /ɪɡˈzɔːbət ə nt, ɪɡˈzɔːbɪt ə nt $ -ɔːr-/ much too expensive:
Some accountants charge exorbitant fees.
▪ astronomical astronomical prices, costs, and fees are extremely high:
the astronomical cost of developing a new spacecraft
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the astronomical prices which some people had paid for their seats
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The cost of living is astronomical.
▪ overpriced too expensive and not worth the price:
The DVDs were vastly overpriced.
▪ somebody can’t afford something someone does not have enough money to buy or do something:
Most people can’t afford to send their children to private schools.