costly

[kawst-lee, kost-]

adjective

costlier, costliest 

1. costing much; expensive; high in price.

   a costly emerald bracelet; costly medical care.

   Synonyms: high-priced, dear

2. resulting in great expense.

   The upkeep of such a large house is costly.

3. resulting in great detriment.

   It was a costly mistake because no one ever trusted him again.

4. of great value; very valuable; sumptuous.

5. lavish; extravagant.

costly

/ ˈkɒstlɪ /

adjective

1. of great price or value; expensive

2. entailing great loss or sacrifice

   a costly victory

3. splendid; lavish

Other Word Forms

• costliness noun
• overcostliness noun
• overcostly adjective
• uncostly adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of costly¹

First recorded in 1350–1400, costly is from the Middle English word costli. See cost, -ly

Synonym Study

See expensive.

Example Sentences

First out of the start hut was Haugan, the Norwegian building his lead before a costly mistake.

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Following those costly misses, Ford had to work hard to get another shot at delivering glory for England.

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Although this approach can generate hundreds of volts, it relies on rigid, costly materials that limit widespread deployment.

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But it can be a costly race against time.

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“Were that to occur, re-anchoring inflation at 2% would be more difficult and costly. It is unlikely that we will still be talking about soft landings in that situation.”

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Related Words

• catastrophic 
• disastrous 
• ruinous