costly
adjective
cost·ly
ˈkȯs(t)-lē 
costlier; costliest
2
: made or done at heavy expense or sacrifice
a costly mistake
costliness
noun
Synonyms
Examples of costly in a Sentence
We use less costly materials in our products.
It was too costly to fix her car after the accident, so she decided to buy a new car instead.
They won the game, but their best player was injured, so it was a costly victory.
The decision to wait could be a costly mistake.
Recent Examples on the Web
By using government resources to support science, Massachusetts broke new ground in U.S. history—a remarkable fact given that the state did so during a costly war.
—
Yaakov Zinberg, Smithsonian Magazine, 4 Apr. 2024
That’s up from 491 last year—a 12% jump—and median year-over-year price growth in these cities is 4.6%, meaning expensive homes are getting more costly.
—Sydney Lake, Fortune, 2 Apr. 2024
But the bill could be costly and faces an uphill battle as the state grapples with a multibillion-dollar budget deficit.
—Mackenzie Mays, Los Angeles Times, 31 Mar. 2024
But there was a provision to handle unknown, potentially costly situations.
—Kate Vitasek, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
Van Grove noted that in the late 1980s and early 1990s, city officials, faced with costly office space lease renewals and the need for a replacement sprinkler system at City Hall, pushed unsuccessfully to acquire land in East Village, then known as Centre City East, for a new complex.
—Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Mar. 2024
During his explanation of the plan to nix pursuing the technology, Police Chief Christopher Bailey said the gunshot detection systems piloted in 2022 did not have a significant enough impact on gun crimes when weighed against the costly price tag.
—Sarah Nelson, The Indianapolis Star, 29 Mar. 2024
Revisionist alliances are also—once again—making aggression less costly by mitigating the strategic isolation aggressors might otherwise face.
—Hal Brands, Foreign Affairs, 29 Mar. 2024
Not only were mothers using costly formula to replace breast milk, which would have given their babies better immunity, but the water parents mixed milk powder with was sometimes contaminated, leading to life-threatening bacterial infections and diarrhea.
—Heather Vogell, ProPublica, 21 Mar. 2024
Yaakov Zinberg, Smithsonian Magazine, 4 Apr. 2024
That’s up from 491 last year—a 12% jump—and median year-over-year price growth in these cities is 4.6%, meaning expensive homes are getting more costly.
—Sydney Lake, Fortune, 2 Apr. 2024
But the bill could be costly and faces an uphill battle as the state grapples with a multibillion-dollar budget deficit.
—Mackenzie Mays, Los Angeles Times, 31 Mar. 2024
But there was a provision to handle unknown, potentially costly situations.
—Kate Vitasek, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
Van Grove noted that in the late 1980s and early 1990s, city officials, faced with costly office space lease renewals and the need for a replacement sprinkler system at City Hall, pushed unsuccessfully to acquire land in East Village, then known as Centre City East, for a new complex.
—Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Mar. 2024
During his explanation of the plan to nix pursuing the technology, Police Chief Christopher Bailey said the gunshot detection systems piloted in 2022 did not have a significant enough impact on gun crimes when weighed against the costly price tag.
—Sarah Nelson, The Indianapolis Star, 29 Mar. 2024
Revisionist alliances are also—once again—making aggression less costly by mitigating the strategic isolation aggressors might otherwise face.
—Hal Brands, Foreign Affairs, 29 Mar. 2024
Not only were mothers using costly formula to replace breast milk, which would have given their babies better immunity, but the water parents mixed milk powder with was sometimes contaminated, leading to life-threatening bacterial infections and diarrhea.
—Heather Vogell, ProPublica, 21 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'costly.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Time Traveler
The first known use of costly was
in the 14th century
Dictionary Entries Near costly
Cite this Entry
“Costly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/costly. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
costly
adjective
cost·ly
ˈkȯs(t)-lē
costlier; costliest
1
: of great cost or value
costly furs
2
: gained at great expense or sacrifice
a costly victory
costliness
noun
More from Merriam-Webster on costly
Nglish: Translation of costly for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of costly for Arabic Speakers
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