Learn English – Is the word ‘expensive’ negative or neutral

adjectivesconnotationsexam-questions

I'm not a native speaker of English. I'm trying to teach English learners positive and negative words.

I found this word in students' textbook, which only gives me the choice between positive and negative. I doubt the correctness of the textbook. Is the word 'expensive' negative or neutral?

Best Answer

It really depends on the context, and because of that, I think you would be best to say neutral. For example, here are three cases:

Positive: My friend brought an expensive wine to the party for us to try.

Neutral: The electric dryer was more expensive than the gas.

Negative: I was shocked by how expensive hotel rooms were because of the convention.

I would say that in general most English speakers would say something being "expensive" is a bad thing, but actual usage is rarely that simple. Ultimately, the connotation depends on who is paying the "expensive" price.

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