costly

adjective

cost·​ly ˈkȯs(t)-lē How to pronounce costly (audio)
costlier; costliest
1
a
: commanding a high price especially because of intrinsic worth
costly gems
b
2
: made or done at heavy expense or sacrifice
a costly mistake
costliness noun

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 The major studios spent much of that time locked in labor disputes with the leading actors and writers unions, which led to two costly strikes that ground film production to a standstill. Jordan Moreau, Variety, 10 Mar. 2024 The plan welcomes undocumented people, who currently must rely on a costly and hard-to-navigate private market, into the Maryland Health Benefit Exchange, where coverage is often less expensive. Katie Shepherd, Washington Post, 8 Mar. 2024 And given how off the rails and costly things have become for brides and their wedding parties (Glamour even devoted a series to the subject called the Bridesmaid Burnout), the arrival of a relatively affordable addition is worthy of our attention. Anna Moeslein, Glamour, 8 Mar. 2024 But where low- to mid-budget films proved costly for the company, Annapurna’s gaming counterparts have been a boon. Rebecca Keegan, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 Mar. 2024 Steel, whose district is deemed a swing seat by election forecasters, may face a costly and precarious battle post-primary. Hanna Kang, Orange County Register, 5 Mar. 2024 With no cooking range to speak of, there seemed to be two options: install a costly cookware system (and its associated ventilation, if using gas), or be restricted to a raw bar with no-cook ingredients. Benjy Egel, Sacramento Bee, 4 Mar. 2024 Live service games are notoriously costly to run and convince players to stick with, especially some of the biggest ones. Paul Tassi, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024 Instead, some municipalities are leaning on rehabilitative reparations that are less costly. USA TODAY, 28 Feb. 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 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

costly

adjective
cost·​ly ˈkȯs(t)-lē How to pronounce costly (audio)
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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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