invaluable
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
- invaluableness noun
- invaluably adverb
Etymology
Origin of invaluable
First recorded in 1570–80; in- 3 + valuable, in obsolete sense “capable of valuation”
Explanation
If you're robbed, much of what is stolen can be replaced. All you need is the cash value of what was lost. But some things––family photos, heirloom jewelry––are invaluable, meaning extremely valuable, or priceless. At first glance, you would think that invaluable means "not valuable." But to understand its meaning, you'd have to know that it was formed from the prefix in- "not" plus the verb value, plus the suffix –able "able to be." So something invaluable has such great value that its value can't be calculated.
Vocabulary lists containing invaluable
Mandela's Nobel Peace Prize Acceptance Address
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The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane
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The Magic Fish
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Her mother told The Times that the school and the community provided invaluable support during those trying times.
From Los Angeles Times • May 4, 2026
This collection is one of the few in the world that includes donated brain tissue from individuals who had psychiatric conditions, making it an invaluable resource for studying mental health at a biological level.
From Science Daily • Apr. 23, 2026
The Artemis II astronauts conducted a historic lunar flyby, gathered invaluable data and took in unprecedented Moon views, but one of the most crucial moments of their 10-day mission is still to come: Friday's splashdown.
From Barron's • Apr. 10, 2026
He has a clear, unshakeable idea of how he wants to play football and at a club as chaotic as Tottenham right now, that kind of certainty is invaluable.
From BBC • Mar. 31, 2026
Her companions were the lazier of the Old Sarum boys, the laziest of whom was one Albert Coningham, a slow thinker to whom Jean Louise had rendered invaluable service during six-weeks’ tests.
From "Go Set a Watchman: A Novel" by Harper Lee
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
