precious

1 of 2

adjective

pre·​cious ˈpre-shəs 

1

: of great value or high price

precious jewels

2

: highly esteemed or cherished

a precious friend

precious memories

had a precious few hours together

3

: excessively refined : affected entry 2

precious manners

4

: great, thoroughgoing

a precious scoundrel

preciousness noun

precious

2 of 2

adverb

: very, extremely

has precious little to say

Synonyms of precious

Adjective

• valuable
• expensive
• costly

Examples of precious in a Sentence

Adjective

That so many of China's cleverest and most creative men and women had to sell their books and their most precious carvings and family seals to keep themselves alive, while corpulent nationalists and their friends dined well in local banquet halls, gave them some right to schadenfreude. —Simon Winchester, The Man Who Loved China, 2008

Of course, the war pronounces on us all. Some precious glee we seek is absent, the season less substantial, less likeable. —Richard Ford, Wall Street Journal, 14-15 June 2008

The world is, as usual, a frightening place to enter for all save the precious few impaired by inherited security. —David Mamet, True and False, 1997

… and, though to him those precious moments at the end of each day had symbolized the realization of his every hope, to her they had meant not a goddamn thing. —Philip Roth, American Pastoral, 1997

diamonds and other precious stones

We can save precious time by taking this shortcut.

They were able to be together for only a few precious hours.

the family's most precious moments

Adverb

She had precious little to say.

There are precious few hours of sunlight left.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

There has been, though, a repeat of mistakes made elsewhere, including a homogenous design that leaves Swansea’s home boasting precious little of what made their old Vetch Field such a pleasure to visit. — Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 13 Aug. 2026

Kidman has never seemed particularly precious about experimenting with hair and makeup. — Marci Robin, Allure, 13 Aug. 2026

According to Antioch Police, the arrest stemmed from an investigation that began on July 21, when they were contacted by Lear Capital, a precious metals company based in Los Angeles. — Tim Fang, CBS News, 12 Aug. 2026

In fact, when American royalty Barbara Streisand famously had her beloved dog cloned, the precious pup in question was none other than a Coton de Tulear. — Popular Science Team, Popular Science, 12 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Adjective and Adverb

Middle English, from Anglo-French precios, from Latin pretiosus, from pretium price — more at price entry 1

First Known Use

Adjective

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adverb

1595, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing precious

• precious little

Rhymes for precious

• semiprecious

Kids Definition

precious

adjective

pre·​cious

ˈpresh-əs

1

: of great value or high price

diamonds and other precious stones

2

: greatly loved : dear

precious memories

preciously adverb

preciousness noun

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English precious "of great value," from early French precios (same meaning), from Latin pretiosus (same meaning), from pretium "price, money" — related to price