valuable

1 of 2

adjective

valu·​able ˈval-yə-bəl 

-yə-wə-bəl,

-yü-ə- 

1

a

: having monetary value

b

: worth a good price

2

a

: having desirable or esteemed characteristics or qualities

valuable friendships

b

: of great use or service

valuable advice

valuableness noun

valuably

ˈval-yə-blē 

-yə-wə-blē

-yü-ə-

adverb

valuable

2 of 2

noun

: a usually personal possession (such as jewelry) of relatively great monetary value

—usually used in plural

Did you know?

invaluable = valuable?

Many people find it confusing that the in- prefix at the beginning of invaluable apparently lacks the meaning "not" found in a number of other words, such as invalid, inarticulate, and insane. In fact, the prefix does indicate negation, but in a way that is not immediately obvious. The original (and current) meaning of invaluable is "valuable beyond estimation"; the word describes something so precious that one cannot assign a price to it. This, clearly, is the opposite of the meaning "having no value; valueless" that the word might seem to carry. Invaluable actually has been recorded in the sense "without value," but such use has been exceedingly rare and is practically nonexistent today.

Synonyms

Adjective

• big-ticket
• costly
• dear
• expensive
• extravagant
• high
• high-end
• high-ticket
• precious
• premium
• priceless
• pricey
• pricy
• spendy [chiefly Northwest]
• ultraexpensive

Examples of valuable in a Sentence

Adjective

The watch is extremely valuable.

A lot of valuable advice can be found in this book.

I learned a valuable lesson.

He made many valuable contributions to the field of science.

The volunteers provide a valuable service to the community.

She is a valuable member of the staff.

Clean air is a valuable natural resource that needs to be protected.

Please don't waste my time. My time is very valuable.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

The meteoric ride allowed Nvidia to briefly surpass Apple last week as the second most valuable company in the U.S. Nvidia surpassed $3 trillion in market value. —CBS News, 10 June 2024

Parties, conservatives thought, served solely as a disposable means to an end, rather than as valuable organizations and instruments of democracy in their own right. —Daniel Schlozman & Sam Rosenfeld / Made By History, TIME, 10 June 2024

Noun

There's also a secret zippered pocket where students can hide their valuables. —Laura Lu, Ms, Parents, 9 June 2024

While competitors like Sotheby’s and Julien’s deal in music collectibles as part of a much broader menu of valuables, ANALOGr has found a niche with a music-only focus, giving special attention to vintage recording gear. —Steve Appleford, Los Angeles Times, 5 June 2024

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

value entry 2 + -able

Noun

noun derivative of valuable entry 1

First Known Use

Adjective

circa 1576, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun

circa 1775, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing valuable

• most valuable player
• valuable consideration

Kids Definition

valuable

1 of 2 adjective

val·​u·​able

ˈval-yə(-wə)-bəl

1

: worth a large amount of money

a valuable necklace

2

: of great use or service

valuable advice

valuableness noun

valuably

-blē

adverb

valuable

2 of 2 noun

: a possession (as a jewel) of great value

—usually used in plural