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
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.
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
Hugh Leask, CNBC, 5 June 2026
The precious, fine dining restaurant he was known for is no more but the all-day contemporary bistro Camélia remains, as does the hotel’s on-site pâtisserie aptly called Cake Shop.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 4 June 2026
Conservative state lawmakers who have received tens of thousands of dollars from Gleason and his family are also those who have consistently sponsored, or at least provided their favorable votes, to bills that would directly benefit his precious metals business.
—Kevin Fixler
june 4, Idaho Statesman, 4 June 2026
The plush velvet case includes handy storage compartments, separating and safely organizing your precious jewels.
—Ruby McAuliffe, InStyle, 4 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for precious
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Adjective
Yung-Shin Kung said that CTAs had captured the rally in precious metals, primarily silver and gold, at the beginning of the year, before switching to industrial metals that are poised to benefit from AI infrastructure investment and supply constraints caused by the Iran war.
—Hugh Leask, CNBC, 5 June 2026
The precious, fine dining restaurant he was known for is no more but the all-day contemporary bistro Camélia remains, as does the hotel’s on-site pâtisserie aptly called Cake Shop.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 4 June 2026
Conservative state lawmakers who have received tens of thousands of dollars from Gleason and his family are also those who have consistently sponsored, or at least provided their favorable votes, to bills that would directly benefit his precious metals business.
—Kevin Fixler
june 4, Idaho Statesman, 4 June 2026
The plush velvet case includes handy storage compartments, separating and safely organizing your precious jewels.
—Ruby McAuliffe, InStyle, 4 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for precious
Cite this Entry
“Precious.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/precious. Accessed 8 Jun. 2026.
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