identifying and quantifying the costs and benefits and, where possible, ascribing values to them, cost-benefit - used esp. attrib. of an analysis, study, etc., which assesses the relationship of the actual cost of a project, etc., and the value of social and other benefits resulting from its completion, comparing the costs and benefits of different possible ways of using available resources, a comparison of all the costs involved in a procedure with the financial benefits derived - or expected to be derived - from the procedure