‘昂贵’ is an adjective meaning ‘exorbitantly expensive’ or ‘prohibitively costly’. It combines two characters: 昂 (áng), which means ‘to rise’ or ‘to lift up’, and 贵 (guì), meaning ‘expensive’ or ‘precious’. Together, they intensify the sense of high cost — literally suggesting prices that have ‘risen’ far beyond normal or reasonable levels. This word carries a strong connotation of unaffordability or unjustified expense, often implying criticism or surprise.

It’s commonly used in daily contexts like shopping, travel, housing, or dining — especially when describing luxury goods, medical treatments, or services perceived as overpriced. Unlike the neutral term 贵 (guì), 昂贵 is emphatic and slightly formal; it rarely appears in casual speech without rhetorical weight. It typically modifies nouns directly (e.g., 昂贵的药品) or follows 是…的 constructions for emphasis. It does not function as a verb or noun and cannot be reduplicated or used predicatively without a copula (e.g., 这个太昂贵了 is correct; *这个昂贵 is incomplete).