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.