Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Going beyond what is reasonable or customary, especially in cost or price.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Deviating from proper limitation or rule; excessively enlarged or extended; out of order or proportion.
  • Going beyond the bounds of reason; extravagantly exacting or exacted; inordinate; excessive: as, exorbitant charges or prices; an exorbitant usurer.
  • Synonyms Inordinate, unreasonable, unconscionable.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective Departing from an orbit or usual track; hence, deviating from the usual or due course; going beyond the appointed rules or established limits of right or propriety; excessive; extravagant; enormous; inordinate
  • adjective Not comprehended in a settled rule or method; anomalous.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective exceeding proper limits; extravagant; excessive or unduly high

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective greatly exceeding bounds of reason or moderation

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English, aberrant, flagrant, from Old French, excessive, extreme, from Late Latin exorbitāns, exorbitant-, present participle of exorbitāre, to deviate : Latin ex-, ex- + Latin orbita, path, track; see orbit.]

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Examples

  • Koji Sasahara/Associated Press Presidents of major Japanese auto makers on Monday attended a joint press conference in Tokyo demanding the end of what they called exorbitant taxes on cars, which threaten to wipe out jobs.

    Asia in Pictures 2011

  • TOKYO AP -- Surrounded by dozens of cardboard boxes packed with 4 million petition signatures, the presidents of major Japanese automakers demanded Monday the end of what they called exorbitant taxes on cars that threaten to hollow out manufacturing and wipe out jobs.

    unknown title 2011

  • The presidents demanded the end of what they called exorbitant taxes on cars.

    The Globe and Mail - Home RSS feed 2011

  • Cablevision in both matters refused to pay what they called exorbitant fees that would ultimately be passed on to customers.

    Multichannel News: Cable Operators 2010

  • Cablevision in both matters refused to pay what they called exorbitant fees that would ultimately be passed on to customers.

    Multichannel News: Cable Operators 2010

  • Cablevision in both matters refused to pay what they called exorbitant fees that would ultimately be passed on to customers.

    Multichannel News: Cable Operators 2010

  • Cablevision in both matters refused to pay what they called exorbitant fees that would ultimately be passed on to customers.

    Multichannel News: Cable Operators 2010

  • Cablevision in both matters refused to pay what they called exorbitant fees that would ultimately be passed on to customers.

    Multichannel News: Cable Operators 2010

  • Cablevision in both matters refused to pay what they called exorbitant fees that would ultimately be passed on to customers.

    Multichannel News: Cable Operators 2010

  • Reining in exorbitant executive pay packages that are draining resources is one way to do that.

    Think Progress » In 2005, Exxon CEO Raked in 190K a Day 2006

Comments

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  • This was why the fee for the hotel was exorbitant. -Charlaine Harris, Living Dead in Dallas

    December 11, 2010