Costly
'kɒstli
Definitions
2 meaningsExpensive, involving a large amount of money or expense.
'kɒstli
Expensive; involving a great expense or loss.
The wedding was incredibly costly.
💡 Simply: Imagine you want to buy a cool toy, but it costs a lot of money. If something's costly, it's expensive and requires you to spend a lot.
👶 For kids: Something is costly if it costs a lot of money.
More Examples
The costly mistake resulted in a significant loss for the company.
Repairing the car was surprisingly costly.
How It's Used
"The project proved to be more costly than initially estimated."
"The renovations were costly, but the result was worth it."
Causing or involving great loss or suffering, often beyond financial cost.
'kɒstli
Causing great loss or suffering.
The revolution had a costly human toll.
💡 Simply: Sometimes, 'costly' can mean more than just money. It can also mean something causes a lot of problems or pain, like a costly mistake that hurts someone's feelings or a costly war that hurts many people.
👶 For kids: Something is costly if it makes a lot of problems or makes people sad.
More Examples
His pride proved to be a costly lesson.
The mistake was costly for his career.
How It's Used
"The war had a costly impact on both sides."
"The recall was costly to their reputation."
Synonyms & Antonyms
From Middle English 'costly', derived from 'cost' and the suffix '-ly'. 'Cost' itself comes from Old French 'coster', from Latin 'constare' meaning 'to stand at a price'.
Historically, 'costly' was used similarly to today, emphasizing a high price or great sacrifice. Early uses can be found in religious texts and financial records from the medieval and early modern periods.
Memory tip
Think of a *costly* diamond; it takes a big hit to your pocketbook.
Word Origin
"To stand at a price (constare)"