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

Example Sentences

Instead, the precious metal has offered something that may be even better — a source of liquidity.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 4, 2026

Venture capital money is abundant, and every minute feels precious.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 4, 2026

They are expensive to replace — between $1,000 and $4,000, according to AAA — because they contain precious metals.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2026

Profit-taking by holders of ETFs as gold hit a record of over $5,000 an ounce also weighed on the precious metal.

From Barron's • Apr. 3, 2026

He examines it like it’s a precious relic.

From "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera