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
The process has been costly; The July storms caused more than $18 billion in damage.
—
Brian New,
CBS News,
1 July 2026
Why the Royal Navy is changing course Recent conflicts have highlighted the growing effectiveness of relatively inexpensive drones against much larger and more costly warships.
—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
30 June 2026
Other options including building onshore facilities in Cyprus or a floating one in waters over the deposits are considered too costly at this point.
—
ABC News,
30 June 2026
This perception can lead to leadership and AI getting very expensive, or rather costly.
—
Brian Solis,
Forbes.com,
30 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for costly
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Brian New,
CBS News,
1 July 2026
Why the Royal Navy is changing course Recent conflicts have highlighted the growing effectiveness of relatively inexpensive drones against much larger and more costly warships.
—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
30 June 2026
Other options including building onshore facilities in Cyprus or a floating one in waters over the deposits are considered too costly at this point.
—
ABC News,
30 June 2026
This perception can lead to leadership and AI getting very expensive, or rather costly.
—
Brian Solis,
Forbes.com,
30 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for costly
Cite this Entry
“Costly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/costly. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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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