COSTLY Synonyms: 37 Similar and Opposite Words

costly

adjective

ˈkȯs(t)-lē

Definition of costly next

as in expensive

commanding a large price running is one sport that does not require a lot of costly equipment

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of costly For example, a type of design known as a cohort study — which tracks vaccinated and unvaccinated people over time, then compares the rates of illness — is far costlier and typically requires a larger sample size and longer follow-up period. —

Aria Bendix, NBC news, 10 Apr. 2026 Meta debuted a new major AI model on Wednesday, its first since the costly hiring of Scale AI’s Alexandr Wang nine months ago, as the Facebook parent aims to carve out a niche in a market that’s being dominated by OpenAI, Anthropic and Google. —

Kai Nicol-Schwarz, CNBC, 10 Apr. 2026 Ripps, Cahen, and Yuga Labs have been in settlement conferencing over the last several months, likely trying to avoid a costly trial. —

Harrison Jacobs, ARTnews.com, 10 Apr. 2026 Two others, Ben Sorensen and John Herbst, support less costly options such as buying the temporary city hall at Tower 101, downtown, for $86 million, or relocating some workers to another site. —

Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 9 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for costly

Recent Examples of Synonyms for costly

Adjective

As bat populations have collapsed, farmers have turned to more expensive and less effective alternatives like pesticides.

— Leah Campbell, Hartford Courant, 11 Apr. 2026
The village at the top consists of two restaurants (the more expensive one has a view of a steep canyon and the blue Rio Grande below) and a smattering of houses.

— Lauren Villagran, USA Today, 11 Apr. 2026