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
The company is also facing challenges within the pharmacy industry due to costly regulations and insufficient reimbursements, Wentworth said.
—
Max Zahn, ABC News, 27 June 2024
It was not designed to rescue all comers from a turbulent and costly insurance market — only the most uninsurable.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 26 June 2024
The Liberty were also uncharacteristically sloppy with the rock – New York had 20 turnovers to Minnesota’s 10 – with Stewart explaining that the difference proved costly for the league’s best team.
—Thomas Schlachter, CNN, 26 June 2024
The public shaming of his former teammate has finally paid its dividends in a costly trade for the Knicks, who just landed a bona fide needle mover without touching their roster’s core.
—Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 26 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for costly 
Max Zahn, ABC News, 27 June 2024
It was not designed to rescue all comers from a turbulent and costly insurance market — only the most uninsurable.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 26 June 2024
The Liberty were also uncharacteristically sloppy with the rock – New York had 20 turnovers to Minnesota’s 10 – with Stewart explaining that the difference proved costly for the league’s best team.
—Thomas Schlachter, CNN, 26 June 2024
The public shaming of his former teammate has finally paid its dividends in a costly trade for the Knicks, who just landed a bona fide needle mover without touching their roster’s core.
—Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 26 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for costly
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.
Dictionary Entries Near costly
Cite this Entry
“Costly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/costly. Accessed 2 Jul. 2024.
Copy CitationKids 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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share