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Synonyms

cost-effective

American  
[kawst-i-fek-tiv, kost-] / ˈkɔst ɪˈfɛk tɪv, ˈkɒst- /

adjective

  1. producing optimum results for the expenditure.

cost-effective British  

adjective

  1. providing adequate financial return in relation to outlay

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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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.

Musk believes that orbital data centers can be as cost-effective as land-based centers in a few years.

From Barron's • May 6, 2026

It also points to a practical and cost-effective strategy that could eventually benefit millions of people living with Alzheimer's worldwide.

From Science Daily • May 4, 2026

With the Three Lions' final group game taking place in New Jersey, it is the most cost-effective way to travel to the US and back, with the first stop being Dallas.

From BBC • May 3, 2026

Yaroslavsky credits Mayor Karen Bass’ Inside Safe program for ridding her district of big homeless encampments, but said more data is needed to ensure the programs are cost-effective.

From Los Angeles Times • May 1, 2026

But a PIH doctor spoke up, saying that he had signed the Hippocratic Oath to practice medicine ethically, but he didn’t remember signing an oath to do it in a cost-effective way.

From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French

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.