sunk costs fallacy

noun

The systematic tendency to allow unrecoverable past investments of time, money, or effort to affect a forward-looking decision, thereby continuing a project even when expected future costs exceed expected future benefits.

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Meanings

nounsunk costs fallacy (plural sunk costs fallacies)

plural sunk costs fallacies

  1. The systematic tendency to allow unrecoverable past investments of time, money, or effort to affect a forward-looking decision, thereby continuing a project even when expected future costs exceed expected future benefits.

Translations

Finnish uponneiden kustannusten harha
  • uponneiden kustannusten harhaphenomenon
Cite this entry
APA

sunk costs fallacy. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sunk%20costs%20fallacy

MLA

“sunk costs fallacy.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sunk%20costs%20fallacy. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “sunk costs fallacy,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sunk%20costs%20fallacy.

Source: sunk costs fallacy on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.