kostspielige

Kostspielige is a German adjective meaning expensive or costly. It denotes that something incurs substantial financial costs or requires significant resources, and it can refer to tangible items as well as abstract consequences. In usage, the term often implies a burden beyond a simple price tag, sometimes including time, effort, or long-term trade-offs. The word is commonly contrasted with synonyms like teuer (pricey) or aufwendig (labor-intensive), with kostspielig carrying a stronger sense of detrimental or burdensome cost.

Grammar and usage notes: As an attributive adjective, kostspielig declines like other German adjectives. With a definite determiner, the form appears as kostspielige in feminine singular, neuter singular, and plural (e.g., die kostspielige Investition, das kostspielige Unternehmen, die kostspieligen Maßnahmen). In other cases, or without a determiner, the endings change according to gender, number, and case (a strong or mixed ending may appear, as in kostspielige Investitionen). Predicative use is straightforward: Die Maßnahme ist kostspielig.

Etymology and scope: The term is formed from Kosten (cost) and the suffix -spielig, typical of German adjectives meaning “costly” or “involving high costs.” It is widely used in formal and semi-formal contexts, including economics, policy discussion, and business communication, to emphasize the financial or resource burden associated with a choice or action.

Examples: Eine kostspielige Renovierung, kostspielige Folgen, kostspielige Investitionen, Die Maßnahme ist kostspielig.