cost-effective

adjective

cost-ef·​fec·​tive ˈkȯst-ə-ˈfek-tiv 

-ˌfek-

: producing good results without costing a lot of money

cost-effective measures to combat poverty

Robot spot welding can be quite cost-effective …

—Harry H. Poole

cost-effectiveness noun

Examples of cost-effective in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Mag’s mother continued cooking on a woodstove where heat was cost-effective and human-powered. — Destenie Nock, The Conversation, 19 Aug. 2026

Prevention is the most cost-effective way to prevent these problems and CEQA is key to prevention. — Shannon Olivieri Hovis, Mercury News, 18 Aug. 2026

Desktop towers typically deliver more cost-effective power-to-price ratios, with easier expandability to boot. — K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 18 Aug. 2026

The Comeback co-creator Michael Patrick King notes that workplace comedies were initially conceived as a cost-effective way to make TV. — Max Gao, HollywoodReporter, 17 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1966, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for cost-effective

• imperfective
• ineffective
• intellective
• introspective
• irrespective
• nondirective
• nonselective
• retrospective
• unreflective
• advective
• affective
• collective