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

“These last few months with her are precious, and we are terrified that his detention will prevent him from being by her side during this incredibly difficult time,” the sisters wrote on the site.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2026

Other precious metals also plunged, with silver falling 7.3% to $70.54 an ounce and platinum trading 4.6% lower at $1,896.70 an ounce.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 2, 2026

The precious metal will rise 35% to $6,200 an ounce by the end of June, before scaling back to $5,900 an ounce by the end of the year, UBS forecast.

From Barron's • Apr. 2, 2026

A pinch of the precious salt and a few bean sprouts filled her with energy for a while, but it wore off.

From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer