precious

American  

[presh-uhs] / ˈprɛʃ əs /

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.

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noun

1. a dearly beloved person; darling.

adverb

1. extremely; very.

   She wastes precious little time.

precious British  

/ 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!

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adverb

1. informal (intensifier)

   there's precious little left

Related Words

See valuable.

Other Word Forms

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

Etymology

Origin of precious

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

Explanation

To call something precious is to describe it as highly valued. Think of a gemstone when you call your baby sister precious. Diamonds, emeralds and rubies are all precious stones and gold and silver are precious metals. If it is something valuable and treasured, it can be called precious too. Fresh water is a precious resource especially in desert countries. Many precious books and painting have been destroyed through fire and war. On a more personal note, guard your memories as they will always be precious to you.

Example Sentences

Gold has been incredibly volatile as of late, pulling back after surging last year along with silver and some other precious metals.

From Barron's • Apr. 10, 2026

What we don’t have time for is all the ridiculous ways we allow precious minutes to die from wanton distraction or discourteous delays.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 9, 2026

The precious metal “could come under pressure if oil prices rebound significantly,” Critical Metals’ Tony Sage says in an email.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 9, 2026

The cease-fire could boost hopes for interest-rate cuts and halt central bank gold selling, potentially regaining momentum for precious metals.

From Barron's • Apr. 8, 2026

They glided over the hills and down into the forest, and there, following Loudwing through the undergrowth, were their precious little goslings.

From "The Wild Robot Protects" by Peter Brown