precious

1 of 2

adjective

pre·​cious ˈpre-shəs How to pronounce precious (audio)
1
: of great value or high price
precious jewels
2
: highly esteemed or cherished
a precious friend
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

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
But the wild cats are certainly around in numbers, stalking prey, performing mating rituals and staking out precious territory with startling ferocity. John Metcalfe, The Mercury News, 13 Mar. 2024 Staying there meant homemade buttermilk pancakes served in the morning, afternoons spent outside under the towering pine trees, and quality time with my precious grandparents. Gabriella Maestri, Southern Living, 12 Mar. 2024 Courtesy of jewelry houses like Cartier, Tiffany & Co., and Chaumet, these are pieces lavished with eye-popping precious stones, and feature price tags that can stretch into the millions. Liam Hess, Vogue, 12 Mar. 2024 But the models themselves are also simply delightful: tiny, precious artifacts from imaginary and mostly unrealized futures. Nicola Twilley, The New Yorker, 12 Mar. 2024 Here’s how to keep your precious stash at peak freshness. Ali Francis, Bon Appétit, 12 Mar. 2024 The Day-Date has only ever been made from precious metals, including 18-carat yellow, white, or Everose gold and 950 platinum. Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 12 Mar. 2024 Starting at $17, these swaddles and sleep sacks from brands like Halo, Burt’s Bees, Ollie, Merlin, and more follow the American Academy of Pediatrics’ safe sleep guidelines and have actually gotten my babies to sleep—buying me precious hours of shut-eye, too. Emily Hochberg, Parents, 11 Mar. 2024 The movement required precious time and took hands off the steering wheel. Washington Post, 11 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'precious.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of precious was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near precious

Cite this Entry

“Precious.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/precious. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

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

More from Merriam-Webster on precious

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