Costliness

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The characteristic of being regarded as expensive or having a high price
2. The condition of necessitating considerable financial expenditure or investment
3. The quality of demanding a large amount of money or resources to obtain or maintain

Etymology: Costliness is about as plain as English compounds get: it is the English suffix "-ness" added to "costly," which itself is "cost" plus "-ly." The suffix "-ness" traces back through Old English "-nes" and Middle English "-nesse" to a Germanic root that once formed abstract nouns from adjectives, so "costliness" is literally "the state of being costly." The base word "costly" shows the more interesting pathway. "Cost" came into English from Old French, and the adjective "costly" grew from it, meaning "of high price" or "lavish." The noun "costliness" therefore describes a quality of expense: an object, a project or a lifestyle that demands a great deal of money.

Synonyms: expensiveness, dear, value, luxury, priceiness

Antonyms: cheapness, affordability, inexpensiveness, bargain