cost-benefit

American  

[kawst-ben-uh-fit, kost-] / ˈkɔstˈbɛn ə fɪt, ˈkɒst- /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or based on a cost-effective analysis.

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cost-benefit British  

adjective

1. denoting or relating to a method of assessing a project that takes into account its costs and its benefits to society as well as the revenue it generates

   a cost-benefit analysis

   the project was assessed on a cost-benefit basis

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Etymology

Origin of cost-benefit

First recorded in 1925–30

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

cost-benefit

National climate assessments are important because their projections can inform federal infrastructure planning, risk assessments, regulations, disaster preparedness and cost-benefit analyses, including from hazards such as wildfires, floods, drought and sea-level rise.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 10, 2026

A cost-benefit analysis of detouring for a lower price per gallon.

From Slate ● Aug. 1, 2026

"And this type of analysis helps us find pain points where investments in technology can rapidly change the cost-benefit analysis."

From Science Daily ● Dec. 11, 2025

We need to stop framing decisions about childrearing as simply another cost-benefit analysis and present young people with a more beautiful vision of what family life can be and do for the world.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 5, 2025

It goes some- how against the grain to learn that cost-benefit analyses can be done neatly on lakes, meadows, nesting gannets, even whole oceans.

From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas

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