precious

[presh-uhs]

adjective

1. of high price or great value; very valuable or costly.

   precious metals.

2. highly esteemed for some spiritual, nonmaterial, or moral quality.

   precious memories.

3. dear; beloved.

   a precious child.

   Synonyms: darling

4. affectedly or excessively delicate, refined, or nice.

   precious manners.

5. flagrant; gross.

   a precious fool.

noun

1. a dearly beloved person; darling.

adverb

1. extremely; very.

   She wastes precious little time.

precious

/ ˈprɛʃəs /

adjective

1. beloved; dear; cherished

2. very costly or valuable

3. held in high esteem, esp in moral or spiritual matters

4. very fastidious or affected, as in speech, manners, etc

5. informal,  worthless

   you and your precious ideas!

adverb

1. informal,  (intensifier)

   there's precious little left

Other Word Forms

• preciousness noun
• preciously adverb
• nonprecious adjective
• nonpreciously adverb
• nonpreciousness noun
• unprecious adjective
• unpreciously adverb
• unpreciousness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of precious¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English preciose (from Old French precios ), from Latin pretiōsus “costly, valuable,” equivalent to preti(um) “price, value, worth” ( price ) + -ōsus -ous

Word History and Origins

Origin of precious¹

C13: from Old French precios, from Latin pretiōsus valuable, from pretium price, value

Synonym Study

See valuable.

Example Sentences

We were blessed with a precious daughter, now 25.

From Los Angeles Times

My ideal day is sitting on a patio while scouring Facebook Marketplace for precious mementos.

From Los Angeles Times

They called for national and global efforts to manage groundwater and “help preserve this precious resource for generations to come.”

From Los Angeles Times

The price of gold has hit a record high as demand for the precious metal remains strong amid global economic uncertainty.

From BBC

Stephen King is not known for being precious about his novels.

From Salon