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.

---

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!

---

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” ( see 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

This might ease inflationary pressures and soothe investor worries over central banks’ rate increases that typically reduce the non-interest-bearing appeal of the precious metal.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 19, 2026

Mahan said he learned as a startup leader and a classroom teacher that metrics matter — that “when we take our precious tax dollars and invest them in public services, we should measure our performance.”

From Los Angeles Times • May 18, 2026

Within seconds, the loaves have been pulled apart, half a dozen men clutching onto precious pieces.

From BBC • May 18, 2026

"Young lives are really precious and we should do everything we can to protect them," said Dr Tom Nutt, chief executive of Meningitis Now.

From BBC • May 16, 2026

I feared for my exams, and to top it all, it often happened that when I sacrificed precious time I could have spent on the farm, the teachers didn’t even come.

From "Flying Through Water" by Mamle Wolo