as in expensive
commanding a large price
running is one sport that does not require a lot of costly equipment
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of costly
And that’s on top of costly airfare, lodging, match tickets, and other incidentals required to attend the games.
—
Bailey Berg, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 Apr. 2026
But if the war doesn’t end soon, some oil analysts caution that a prolonged conflict and a failure to reopen the Strait of Hormuz will be very costly.
—Matt Egan, CNN Money, 2 Apr. 2026
Continuing along the path of confrontation is more costly and futile than ever before.
—Npr Staff, NPR, 2 Apr. 2026
But with oil, LNG, and helium prices surging in the wake of the Iran war, experts warn the region’s AI operations could grow more costly.
—Angelica Ang, Fortune, 2 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for costly
Bailey Berg, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 Apr. 2026
But if the war doesn’t end soon, some oil analysts caution that a prolonged conflict and a failure to reopen the Strait of Hormuz will be very costly.
—Matt Egan, CNN Money, 2 Apr. 2026
Continuing along the path of confrontation is more costly and futile than ever before.
—Npr Staff, NPR, 2 Apr. 2026
But with oil, LNG, and helium prices surging in the wake of the Iran war, experts warn the region’s AI operations could grow more costly.
—Angelica Ang, Fortune, 2 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for costly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for costly
Adjective
-
After all, walking requires no gym membership, expensive equipment or specialized training and is accessible to nearly everyone and can be done almost anywhere.—
Daryl Austin,
USA Today,
29 Mar. 2026
-
Services like fire rescue, trash pickup and road repair are more expensive to provide in a city designed to sprawl, said DART board member Enrique MacGregor.—
Lilly Kersh,
Dallas Morning News,
28 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Though her offensive numbers dipped late in the season, her defensive consistency and versatility remained valuable.—
Aaron Segal,
Kansas City Star,
4 Apr. 2026
-
However, the constant barrage of stories that focus only on wrongdoing within our law enforcement agencies, when left completely unchecked by ones that celebrate the many valuable (and, in some cases, heroic) contributions, serve only to unfairly fan the flames of distrust and vitriol.—
Craig MacLellan,
Boston Herald,
3 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Costly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/costly. Accessed 4 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
