price
price
Pronunciation
/praɪs/.
/p/: Voiceless bilabial stop (as in "pen")
/r/: Voiced postalveolar approximant (as in "run")
/aɪ/: Diphthong, starting with an open front vowel and gliding towards a near-close near-front unrounded vowel (as in "eye" or "buy")
/s/: Voiceless alveolar fricative (as in "say")
Word Form Variations
I. Noun
Singular: price (e.g., "The price of the book is high.")
Plural: prices (e.g., "The prices of groceries have increased.")
II. Verb
Base Form/Present Simple (I/you/we/they): price (e.g., "We price our products competitively.")
Present Simple (he/she/it): prices (e.g., "She prices her artwork to sell.")
Past Simple: priced (e.g., "They priced the car too high.")
Past Participle: priced (e.g., "The item was priced incorrectly.")
Present Participle/Gerund: pricing (e.g., "We are pricing the new inventory." or "Correct pricing is crucial.")
III. Adjective Forms (often derived from the verb's past participle or related words)
priced (as a past participle used as an adjective, e.g., "a reasonably priced item," "high-priced goods")
pricey (informal, meaning expensive, e.g., "That restaurant is a bit pricey.")
Comparative: pricier
Superlative: priciest
overpriced (meaning too expensive)
underpriced (meaning too cheap)
competitively priced (meaning priced to compete with others)
bargain-priced (meaning sold at a low price)
mid-priced (meaning in the middle price range)
priceless (meaning beyond price, invaluable)
IV. Adverb Forms
Adverbs directly formed from "price" are less common. However, adverbs are often used to modify verbs related to pricing or adjectives derived from "price":
competitively (e.g., "They sell their products competitively.")
reasonably (e.g., "The house was reasonably priced.")
moderately (e.g., "The hotel offers moderately priced rooms.")
attractively (e.g., "The items were attractively priced.")
Definitions, Synonyms and Antonyms
I. Noun
Definition: The amount of money or other equivalent consideration required or given in exchange for something. This can refer to goods, services, or the cost of an experience.
Synonyms: cost, charge, fee, tariff, rate, expense, value (in a monetary sense), worth
Antonyms: (No direct antonyms for "price" as a noun, but concepts like "free" or "complimentary" indicate the absence of a price.)
Definition: The undesirable consequences or effort one must endure to achieve or obtain something, often metaphorical.
Synonyms: cost (figurative), penalty, sacrifice, consequence, toll, suffering, burden
Antonyms: reward, benefit, gain, advantage, boon
II. Verb
Definition: To determine or set the monetary value of something for sale or exchange.
Synonyms: value, cost, charge, rate, appraise, estimate, quote
Antonyms: devalue, undervalue, discount (when specifically meaning to reduce a previously set price), give away
Definition: To inquire about the cost of an item or service.
Synonyms: ascertain the cost, inquire about the rate, check the cost
Antonyms: (No direct antonyms for this usage, as it describes the act of asking.)
III. Adjective
Note: "Price" itself is not directly an adjective. However, its forms and related words often function adjectivally. The most common is the past participle "priced" or the derived adjective "pricey."
Priced (as an adjective, typically in compounds like "well-priced," "overpriced"):
Definition: Having had a monetary value assigned; indicating how something is valued in terms of cost.
Synonyms: valued, rated, estimated, charged, costly (if high-priced), inexpensive (if low-priced)
Antonyms: free, unvalued, uncharged
Pricey (informal):
Definition: Characterized by a high cost; expensive.
Synonyms: expensive, costly, dear, high-priced, exorbitant, steep (informal)
Antonyms: cheap, inexpensive, affordable, low-cost, economical, reasonable
IV. Adverb
Note: "Price" does not function as an adverb itself. Adverbs are used to modify verbs or adjectives related to price.
For example:
Competitively (e.g., "The goods are competitively priced.")
Definition: In a manner that is designed to be appealing in comparison to rivals' offerings in terms of cost.
Synonyms: keenly, aggressively, reasonably (in context)
Antonyms: uncompetitively, non-competitively
Reasonably (e.g., "The services are reasonably priced.")
Definition: In a fair and acceptable manner regarding cost, without being excessive.
Synonyms: fairly, moderately, affordably, acceptably
Antonyms: exorbitantly, unreasonably, excessively, steeply
Examples of Use
Books:
"The merchant set a high price on the rare spices, knowing their scarcity would guarantee buyers." (From a historical fiction novel, e.g., The Perfume Collector by Kathleen Tessaro)
"What is the price of peace, if not constant vigilance and occasional sacrifice?" (From a philosophical or political text, e.g., The Price of Loyalty by Ron Suskind)
Newspapers:
"Oil prices surged yesterday following geopolitical tensions in the Middle East." (Headline in The Wall Street Journal)
"Local farmers are struggling to cope with the fluctuating market prices for their produce." (Daily Nation)
Online Publications:
"Tech giants are facing increased scrutiny over the price of their user data." (Article on Wired.com)
"We compared the prices of various streaming services to help you find the best deal." (TechCrunch.com)
Entertainment Mediums and Platforms:
Television Show (Dialogue): "You want freedom, boy? That comes at a price." (From a fantasy drama series, e.g., Game of Thrones, Season 5)
Song Lyrics: "And if I have to pay the price, it's worth it for this love." (From a popular song, e.g., "The Price" by The Car)
Video Game (In-game text/dialogue): "The vendor has an assortment of weapons; check their prices before buying." (From an RPG, e.g., The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim)
Movie (Dialogue): "Every man has his price." (Classic line often attributed to various crime films, e.g., Scarface)
General Public Discourse:
"The price of bread has gone up again, it's getting harder to afford basic necessities." (Conversation overheard in a Nairobi market)
"I need to price out some flights for my trip next month." (Spoken by an individual planning travel)
"They priced their house to sell quickly, which is why it was off the market so fast." (Discussion among friends about real estate)
"Is that new phone pricey?" (Casual question about an expensive item)
10 Quotes Using Price
"The price of anything is the amount of life you exchange for it." (Henry David Thoreau, Walden, 1854)
"The price of freedom is eternal vigilance." (Often attributed to Thomas Jefferson, but a variation coined by Wendell Phillips, 1852)
"The price of greatness is responsibility." (Winston Churchill)
"The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten." (Benjamin Franklin)
"Price is what you pay. Value is what you get." (Warren Buffett)
"The price of success is hard work, dedication to the job at hand, and the determination that whether we win or lose, we have applied the best of ourselves to the task at hand." (Vince Lombardi)
"We must all suffer from one of two pains: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret. The difference is discipline weighs ounces while regret weighs tons." (Jim Rohn - Though not using "price" directly, this is a very famous quote about the "cost" of discipline which is highly relevant to the concept of price.)
"Power comes with a price. It's a burden. It demands sacrifice." (Drew Karpyshyn, Children of Fire, 2013)
"The price we have to pay for money is sometimes liberty." (Robert Louis Stevenson)
"To attain [peace], we must be aware of its full meaning—and ready to pay its full price." (Dwight D. Eisenhower, Second Inaugural Address, January 1957)
Etymology
The word "price" has a journey through languages that ultimately links it to the idea of "value" or "worth."
It comes to us from Middle English as "pris" (around the early 1200s). This "pris" was borrowed from Old French, which also used "pris" (or "preis").
The Old French "pris" itself came from the Latin word "pretium." In Latin, pretium had a broad meaning, encompassing "price," "value," "wages," or even "reward." So, from its very roots, the word carried this double sense of both a monetary cost and a more general sense of worth or something given in return.
Interestingly, this shared Latin ancestor pretium is also the source of other English words like "praise" and "prize," which originally had more overlapping meanings with "price" than they do today. Over time, in English, these words specialized into their distinct meanings, with "price" settling primarily on the monetary cost of something.
Phrases + Idioms Containing Price
Here's a list of phrases and idioms using "price":
At any price: Regardless of the cost or difficulty.
What's the price of admission?: What's the cost or effort required to participate or gain entry?
To pay the price: To suffer the unpleasant consequences of an action.
A small price to pay: A minor cost or inconvenience when compared to the benefits gained.
No price on it / Priceless: Beyond monetary value; invaluable.
To price oneself out of the market: To set one's prices so high that no one will buy.
To price something up/down: To increase/decrease the cost of an item.
The going price: The current standard or typical cost for something.
To price check: To compare the costs of a product at different stores or sellers.
Every man has his price: The belief that everyone can be corrupted or persuaded if offered enough.
Price tag: The label showing the cost of an item.
Price gouging: Charging an unfairly high price for something, especially in an emergency.
To price in: To include a cost or factor into a calculation.
The price is right: The cost is considered fair or reasonable.
To price something in gold: To consider something extremely valuable (less common).
Vocabulary-Based Stories from SEA
Source Information
Definition of price from The Academic Glossary at Self Exploration Academy, a Urikville Press Publication. © All rights reserved.
