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
All in all, Wegner's call was costly for the Blue Jays as the Dodgers got on the board in the bottom of the second inning to take a 1-0 lead.
—
Valentina Martinez, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Oct. 2025
LiquiDonate sustainably reroutes excess inventory, returns and unsellable goods from retailers to nonprofits instead of landfills, transforming a costly problem into a tax-deductible, socially impactful solution.
—Andre Claudio, Sourcing Journal, 27 Oct. 2025
According to LaRocco, the materials are biodegradable and cheaper to fabricate than conventional semiconductors, which require costly rare-earth minerals and high amounts of energy from data centers.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 27 Oct. 2025
According to a Reddit post from a user who identified as being on board, the costly mishap happened just before takeoff.
—Khloe Quill, FOXNews.com, 27 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for costly
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Valentina Martinez, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Oct. 2025
LiquiDonate sustainably reroutes excess inventory, returns and unsellable goods from retailers to nonprofits instead of landfills, transforming a costly problem into a tax-deductible, socially impactful solution.
—Andre Claudio, Sourcing Journal, 27 Oct. 2025
According to LaRocco, the materials are biodegradable and cheaper to fabricate than conventional semiconductors, which require costly rare-earth minerals and high amounts of energy from data centers.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 27 Oct. 2025
According to a Reddit post from a user who identified as being on board, the costly mishap happened just before takeoff.
—Khloe Quill, FOXNews.com, 27 Oct. 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 1 Nov. 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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