precious

[ presh-uh s ]

/ ˈprɛʃ əs /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR precious ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

of high price or great value; very valuable or costly: precious metals.

highly esteemed for some spiritual, nonmaterial, or moral quality: precious memories.

dear; beloved: a precious child.

affectedly or excessively delicate, refined, or nice: precious manners.

flagrant; gross: a precious fool.

noun

a dearly beloved person; darling.

adverb

extremely; very: She wastes precious little time.

Words nearby precious

precession, precession of the equinoxes, precinct, precincts, preciosity, precious, precious coral, precious few, precious metal, precious moonstone, precious opal

Origin of precious

1250–1300; Middle English preciose (< Old French precios) < Latin pretiōsus costly, valuable, equivalent to preti(um) price, value + -ōsus -ous

SYNONYMS FOR precious

1 See valuable.

3 darling, cherished.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR precious ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM precious

pre·cious·ly, adverbpre·cious·ness, nounnon·pre·cious, adjectivenon·pre·cious·ly, adverb

non·pre·cious·ness, nounun·pre·cious, adjectiveun·pre·cious·ly, adverbun·pre·cious·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Examples from the Web for precious

Being there teaches you to think quickly, edit yourself, and not get too precious about your own work.
Coffee Talk with Fred Armisen: On ‘Portlandia,’ Meeting Obama, and Taylor Swift’s Greatness|Marlow Stern|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
From a lyrical standpoint, there are precious few that can catch Kendrick.
The 14 Best Songs of 2014: Bobby Shmurda, Future Islands, Drake, and More|Marlow Stern|December 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Second, they threaten one of the most precious resources in our state: public education that is open to all children.
Hunger Games Comes to New York State’s Public Schools|Zephyr Teachout|November 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The precious cargo: two American humanitarian workers with Ebola.
The American Ebola Rescue Plan Hinges on One Company. Meet Phoenix.|Abby Haglage|November 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST

There are precious few large-scale, ambitious, original works.
Christopher Nolan Uncut: On ‘Interstellar,’ Ben Affleck’s Batman, and the Future of Mankind|Marlow Stern|November 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It was during this period of her life that she won a friendship quite as strong and quite as precious as that of old Grossetete.
The Village Rector|Honore de Balzac
Genius is to other gifts what the carbuncle is to the precious stones.
Dictionary of Quotations from Ancient and Modern, English and Foreign Sources|James Wood
I held up my precious book before him; I rapped the open page impressively with my forefinger.
The Moonstone|Wilkie Collins
Everything that belongs to her, or is connected with her, is precious to me.
The Personal History of David Copperfield |Charles Dickens
Last and most precious was the silver shilling, which she polished carefully with her chamois-skin pen-wiper before putting away.
The Little Colonel: Maid of Honor|Annie Fellows Johnston

British Dictionary definitions for precious

precious

/ (ˈprɛʃəs) /

adjective

beloved; dear; cherished

very costly or valuable

held in high esteem, esp in moral or spiritual matters

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

informal worthlessyou and your precious ideas!

adverb

informal (intensifier)there's precious little left

Derived forms of precious

preciously, adverbpreciousness, noun

Word Origin for precious

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

precious

adjective

noun

adverb

Words related to precious

Words nearby precious

Origin of precious

SYNONYMS FOR precious

OTHER WORDS FROM precious

Examples from the Web for precious

British Dictionary definitions for precious

adjective

adverb

Derived forms of precious

Word Origin for precious