costly
Americanadjective
-
costing much; expensive; high in price.
a costly emerald bracelet; costly medical care.
- Synonyms:
- high-priced, dear
-
resulting in great expense.
The upkeep of such a large house is costly.
-
resulting in great detriment.
It was a costly mistake because no one ever trusted him again.
-
of great value; very valuable; sumptuous.
-
lavish; extravagant.
adjective
-
of great price or value; expensive
-
entailing great loss or sacrifice
a costly victory
-
splendid; lavish
Related Words
See expensive.
Other Word Forms
- costliness noun
- overcostliness noun
- overcostly adjective
- uncostly adjective
Etymology
Origin of costly
First recorded in 1350–1400, costly is from the Middle English word costli. See cost, -ly
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"This will continue after the new year together with the initial plans to recover the two boats in the breach hole and the long and costly process of rebuilding and reinstating the canal."
From BBC
Because the nanodots are made from a widely used metal oxide rather than costly or toxic noble metals such as gold or silver, they may also be more affordable and safer to manufacture.
From Science Daily
“The costumes are costly to replace if damaged or not returned,” states the complaint, which included copies of invoices for about $134,000 in costume rentals.
From Los Angeles Times
It leaves the Dolphins to reckon with the fallout from the most costly mistake in modern football: spending a fortune on a quarterback only to realize that he isn’t actually the answer.
Her cousins had planned to fly over from Colombia for a family reunion, with costly medications for an elderly relative with Parkinson’s disease.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
