precious

[ presh-uh s ]

/ ˈprɛʃ əs /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR precious ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

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.

affectedly or excessively delicate, refined, or nice: precious manners.

flagrant; gross: a precious fool.

noun

a dearly beloved person; darling.

adverb

extremely; very: She wastes precious little time.

QUIZZES

Discover The Influence Of Portuguese On English Via This Quiz!

We’ve gathered some interesting words donated to English from Portuguese … as well as some that just don’t translate at all. Do you know what they mean?

Question 1 of 11

Which of the following animal names traces its immediate origin to Portuguese?

owl

crow

piranha

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Words nearby precious

precession, precession of the equinoxes, precinct, precincts, preciosity, precious, precious coral, precious few, precious metal, precious moonstone, precious opal

Origin of precious

1250–1300; Middle English preciose (< Old French precios) < Latin pretiōsus costly, valuable, equivalent to preti(um) price, value + -ōsus -ous

SYNONYMS FOR precious

1 See valuable.

3 darling, cherished.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR precious ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM precious

pre·cious·ly, adverbpre·cious·ness, nounnon·pre·cious, adjectivenon·pre·cious·ly, adverb

non·pre·cious·ness, nounun·pre·cious, adjectiveun·pre·cious·ly, adverbun·pre·cious·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for preciousness

He stripped it of its preciousness, embraced its commercial, mass appeal, and turned the designer into a celebrity.
When Fashion Met Art: Andy Warhol & Halston’s Decades-Long Friendship|Raquel Laneri|May 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Some of his preciousness is a veneer, however, for his fatalistic streak.
Ralph Fiennes Discusses ‘The Grand Budapest Hotel,’ J. Lo, and That ‘Seinfeld’ Episode|Marlow Stern|March 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Judge of our esteem for you by the preciousness of the body over which we are thus calling you to preside.'
The Letters of Cassiodorus|Cassiodorus (AKA Magnus Aurelius Cassiodorus Senator)
He had a deep sense of the preciousness of time and the responsibility which everyone incurs who uses or misuses it.
The Grand Old Man|Richard B. Cook

The girl suddenly realized that this hour of preciousness was over, and life was to be faced again.
The Girl from Montana|Grace Livingston Hill
But he had no love of knowledge, preferring sports or idleness, having no correct value of the preciousness of time.
Olive Leaves|Lydia Howard Sigourney
The preciousness of the ointment is the more evident for the fly.
Atlantic Classics, Second Series|Henry C. Merwin

British Dictionary definitions for preciousness

precious

/ (ˈprɛʃəs) /

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 worthlessyou and your precious ideas!

adverb

informal (intensifier)there's precious little left

Derived forms of precious

preciously, adverbpreciousness, noun

Word Origin for precious

C13: from Old French precios, from Latin pretiōsus valuable, from pretium price, value

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

precious

adjective

noun

adverb

QUIZZES

Words related to precious

Words nearby precious

Origin of precious

SYNONYMS FOR precious

OTHER WORDS FROM precious

Example sentences from the Web for preciousness

British Dictionary definitions for preciousness

adjective

adverb

Derived forms of precious

Word Origin for precious