precious

[presh-uh s]

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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.

Nearby words

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 MORE SYNONYMS FOR precious ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

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. 2019

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

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 Formspreciously, 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

Word Origin and History for precious

precious

adj.

mid-13c., from Old French precios "precious, costly, honorable, of great worth" (11c., Modern French précieux), from Latin pretiosus "costly, valuable," from pretium "value, worth, price" (see price (n.)). Meaning "over-refined" in English first recorded late 14c. In Johnson's day, it also had a secondary inverted sense of "worthless." Related: Preciously; preciousness.

precious

"beloved or dear person or object," 1706, from precious (adj.).

precious

adjective

noun

adverb

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Origin of precious

Examples from the Web for precious

precious

adjective

adverb

Word Origin for precious

precious

precious