precious
Americanadjective
-
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.
- Synonyms:
- darling
-
affectedly or excessively delicate, refined, or nice.
precious manners.
-
flagrant; gross.
a precious fool.
noun
adverb
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 worthless
you and your precious ideas!
adverb
Synonym Usage
See valuable.
Other Word Forms
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.
Vocabulary lists containing precious
"Black Panther" Lingo
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Unit 1: Telling Details
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"Macbeth" Vocabulary from Act IV
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Don’t buy the car if you think you will be using those precious miles on the odometer second-guessing the purchase.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 4, 2026
Most broad commodity ETFs are heavily weighted to energy markets, with the rest of the portfolio divided between precious and industrial metals and agriculture.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 3, 2026
The programme provides duty-free access to the US market for South African vehicles, the country's second-largest export earner to the United States after precious metals, according to the South African Revenue Service.
From Barron's ● Nov. 2, 2026
Like any time we have taboo topics or taboo-like scenarios different from the “norm” we get really precious about it.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 2, 2026
Chase wasted several precious seconds trying to find the release.
From "Storm Runners" by Roland Smith
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
