costlycost‧ly /ˈkɒstli $ ˈkɒːstli/ ●●○ adjective 
a complex and costly procedure Such a database would be extremely costly to set up.► see thesaurus at expensive2something that is costly causes a lot of problems or trouble: His delay in making a decision could prove costly in the long run.—costliness noun [uncountable]
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- A lawsuit would be costly and we would probably lose.
- Buying all those computers was a costly mistake.
- Caring for the park's swans is a costly business - roughly $26,600 per year.
- Taylor's pinched nerve has been the team's most costly injury this season.
- The finance committee rejected their plan because they said it was too costly.
- Convening production lines to largely automated production of flat panel sets would be costly in the short term.
- From a cash-flow standpoint, that is less costly than actually paying your corporation an additional $ 200 in interest.
- Maximum use of state-of-the-art technology in place of costly and often error-prone personnel.
- Producers must receive a higher price to produce these more costly units. 7 Price and quantity supplied are directly related.
- Punitive damages potentially could be much more costly to cigarette companies than compensatory damages.
- Purchase of market share is seen to be less costly than establishing brands - and is quicker too.
- Several of the gifts were costly, including a cup of gold and a crystal salt-set.
- Yet the effort, far more costly than anything ever attempted by any government, has not produced the expected returns.
THESAURUS
costing a lot of money: · an expensive car· Apartments in the city are very expensive.· An underground train system is expensive to build.
costing a lot of money. You use high about rents/fees/prices/costs. Don’t use expensive with these words: · Rents are very high in this area.· Lawyers charge high fees.· the high cost of living in Japan
[not before noun] British English spoken expensive compared to the usual price: · £3.50 seems rather dear for a cup of coffee.
informal expensive: · The clothes are beautiful but pricey.
expensive in a way that wastes money: · Upgrading the system would be very costly.· They were anxious to avoid a costly legal battle.
informal to be very expensive: · The necklace must have cost a fortune!
much too expensive: · Some accountants charge exorbitant fees.
astronomical prices, costs, and fees are extremely high: · the astronomical cost of developing a new spacecraft· the astronomical prices which some people had paid for their seats· The cost of living is astronomical.
too expensive and not worth the price: · The DVDs were vastly overpriced.
someone does not have enough money to buy or do something: · Most people can’t afford to send their children to private schools.
Longman Language Activatorexpensive something that is expensive costs a lot of money, more than other things of the same type: · She spends most of her money on expensive clothes.· Do you have any less expensive cameras?· Taxis are so expensive - that's why I usually take the bus.expensive to make/run/buy etc: · Movies are incredibly expensive to make these days.
especially spoken if something, especially something you do, costs a lot it is expensive: · I managed to find the bike I wanted but it cost a lot.· It costs a lot of money to go to medical school, you know.cost a lot (of money) to do something: · Did it cost a lot to fly to Rio?
if the price or cost of something is high , it costs a lot: · Rents in central London are very high.· The cost of living is higher in Denmark than in Germany.· Increased production costs will mean higher prices for consumers.
a plan, activity etc that is costly is too expensive and wastes money - used especially about plans carried out by governments or companies: · The finance committee rejected their plan because they said it was too costly.· Caring for the park's swans is a costly business - roughly $26,600 per year.costly mistake: · Buying all those computers was a costly mistake.
spoken informal if you say it's going to cost you or it'll cost you when someone wants to buy something, you mean it will be expensive for them: · You can get new parts specially made for these, but it'll cost you.· There are some places that can mend the suit in a couple of hours, but it's going to cost you.
informal to be expensive - use this especially when you think that even though something is expensive, it is still worth buying: · Gibson guitars sound great, but they don't come cheap.· It would be great if we could hire her, but with all her experience, she won't come cheap.
informal very expensive or too expensive - use this especially when you are deciding whether or not to buy something: · Let's not eat here - it's too pricey.· The tickets were kind of pricey, but the show was good.
British expensive - use this especially about things you buy in shops: · Those strawberries look a bit dear.· The blue jacket is slightly dearer, but it's much better material.· No, you can't have an ice-cream - they're too dear.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY His delay in making a decision could prove costly in the long run.COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
1very expensive, especially wasting a lot of money: His delay in making a decision could prove costly in the long run. (=that costs you money or has a bad result)· Hiring him turned out to be a costly mistake.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADVERB· It was a habit of disguise that she recognized as costly but could not be rid of.· Margarines are available at widely differing costs, with the most expensive ones being twice as costly as the least expensive ones.· Per unit of bitterness they are roughly as costly.
· On the other hand, the proposed scheme is going to be extremely costly, both in terms of money and teachers' time.· The failure to stock merchandise that matches customer demand can be extremely costly.· All of these methods are extremely costly and frankly are not helping the initial cause of the problem.· A breakdown would be extremely costly and dangerous.· There is no point in dimming fluorescent light; although it is possible, it is extremely costly and unnecessary.· Meanwhile, the firing from the walls was undiminished, and the last stages of trenching had proved extremely costly.· Relocating individual staff abroad is an extremely costly procedure.· The argument most often put forward against tax relief for childcare is that it would be extremely costly to the Exchequer.
· Before its completion, there was a greater requirement for a lighter and less costly tank.· Not only does it discredit traditional replication techniques, it also steers the organization toward less costly ways of achieving its ends.· Smaller and less costly items such as pens, beauty products and food are much more obvious candidates for a more general distribution.· From a cash-flow standpoint, that is less costly than actually paying your corporation an additional $ 200 in interest.· Instead it utilised materials less costly and more readily obtainable.· Short-term debt is generally less costly than long-term debt but is also riskier.· The plans will show a more powerful and less costly product than existing prototypes.· There are less costly ways of recognising the contribution teachers make.
· This is more costly and is not ideal but it is nevertheless feasible.· Under the new rules, buyouts are much more costly than under the old plan.· Front and rear valances also bolt on, but are more costly than the sills to replace.· New, more costly technologies constantly escalate per capita costs.· However, all this makes the Rolls a more costly proposition if it needs repairing.· The company announced Tuesday it had adopted a shareholder rights plan designed to make a takeover more costly.· He said suing the building society would only delay matters and make resolving the problem more costly.· Yet the effort, far more costly than anything ever attempted by any government, has not produced the expected returns.
· Yet in all but a very few, it is people that are the organisation's most costly and most valuable asset.· Indeed, the 1996 campaign season is headed for the history books as the most costly in history.· It is the most costly spectacle on earth and it can not be repeated again this century.· Aundray Bruce committed the most costly one, on third-and-5 in the first quarter.· I love beautiful things, simple things, but they are the most costly.· I have chosen the most costly problems, those that practitioners see over and over again.
· Amgen also said it would pay for any human trials to test the drugs, a potentially costly expense.
· He received no reply; seldom can a mislaid letter have had so costly a sequel.· Not all good day care is so costly.
· City Lands director Peter Coffey said alternative access routes were impractical or too costly.· Too controversial, some warned. Too costly.· It's too far and much too costly and they couldn't possibly cover their expenses.· These cases are too costly and too risky for most lawyers and most litigants.· It is too inflexible, too costly, and too rigid.· Its peeling paint and broken windows stand testimony that it went out of business because it had become too costly to maintain.· Furthermore, the packets were too costly for the average people to buy, conflicting with the second criterion.· In early experiments I actually used Guinness in the dough but it is too costly.
· Relocating an employee can prove very costly.· The unwise patronage policy of the Santa Anna administration had been very costly.· Rivers also flood, and such floods are sometimes very costly in terms of loss of life and destruction of property.· Not very costly, but there is some cost involved.· However, to try to salvage these items would be very costly.· To do so is very costly.· Secondly, wars which involved civilian targets were less dangerous and cheaper to organise, but very costly for the defender.· Like divorce, it is painful and sometimes very costly to buy out a hostile partner.
NOUN· Internet access is a costly business to run, so revenue has to come from somewhere.· Though a useful vote-catcher before an election, it becomes a costly business thereafter.· Often they are in relatively expensive sites on high streets with costly business rates.· Fossil hunting is a costly business.· Moreover, creating large bodies of worthwhile intellectual property is a specialised and costly business.
· But the pioneer also risks making costly mistakes which its rivals can learn from.· The record shows a tendency to make a couple of kinds of particularly costly mistakes.· The price for not doing so was costly mistakes and severe stress.· To do otherwise could be a costly mistake all round.· But they made a costly mistake in teaching their language to the hoipolloi.· Redesigning chips takes time and money; simulations can help avoid costly mistakes.· After all, if the executives fail in the new location, the employer will have made a costly mistake.· A good frame-maker can keep you from making costly mistakes, says Gelay, such as putting Plexiglas over charcoal.
a complex and costly procedure Such a database would be extremely costly to set up.► see thesaurus at expensive2something that is costly causes a lot of problems or trouble: His delay in making a decision could prove costly in the long run.—costliness noun [uncountable]