costly
adjective
cost·ly
ˈkȯs(t)-lē 
costlier; costliest
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
Broadway is a costly, heavily unionized business and stars like Washington and Clooney don’t like to get tied up in the same project for months, let alone years.
—
Chris Jones, New York Daily News, 6 Apr. 2025
Both problems made an appearance in Saturday night’s costly 121-115 overtime loss to the Milwaukee Bucks at Kaseya Center.
—Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 6 Apr. 2025
Russia has invested heavily in developing hypersonic missiles, storming ahead with its costly programs before hammering Ukraine with missiles like the Kinzhal and Tsirkon.
—John W. Dean, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Apr. 2025
Chevron also challenged the costly wetlands restoration project proposed by the parish, which involved removing large amounts of contaminated soil and filling in the swaths fragmented wetlands eroded over the last century.
—Jack Brook, Los Angeles Times, 5 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for costly
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Chris Jones, New York Daily News, 6 Apr. 2025
Both problems made an appearance in Saturday night’s costly 121-115 overtime loss to the Milwaukee Bucks at Kaseya Center.
—Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 6 Apr. 2025
Russia has invested heavily in developing hypersonic missiles, storming ahead with its costly programs before hammering Ukraine with missiles like the Kinzhal and Tsirkon.
—John W. Dean, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Apr. 2025
Chevron also challenged the costly wetlands restoration project proposed by the parish, which involved removing large amounts of contaminated soil and filling in the swaths fragmented wetlands eroded over the last century.
—Jack Brook, Los Angeles Times, 5 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for costly
Cite this Entry
“Costly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/costly. Accessed 14 Apr. 2025.
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
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