Synonyms
Examples of precious in a Sentence
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.
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Jeff Miller, Los Angeles Times, 20 Nov. 2023
In the last two years, olive oil prices have jumped 150% in Spain, Reuters reported, turning the staple ingredient of Mediterranean cuisine into a precious commodity.
—Byprarthana Prakash, Fortune Europe, 20 Nov. 2023
Max Greenfield knows how to plan a precious Friendsgiving.
—Kelli Bender, Peoplemag, 20 Nov. 2023
Many experts are also concerned about the fate of precious and precarious architectural gems across the mountains.
—Aida Alami, New York Times, 19 Nov. 2023
When currencies were devalued and stock markets plummeted, a top-quality diamond or other precious gem remained global currency.
—Jill Newman, Robb Report, 18 Nov. 2023
But back then, viewed globally, Willa Cather was a Great Plains regionalist, Virginia Woolf was the darling of a precious group of Londoners based in Bloomsbury, and Edith Wharton was an acolyte of the late and long out-of-fashion Henry James.
—Brad Leithauser, WSJ, 17 Nov. 2023
The caption came alongside family photos with her husband Jordan Kelly and precious baby Khloé-Drew.
—Elizabeth Ayoola, Essence, 16 Nov. 2023
Turner and the young athlete posed for a precious photo on the court, with the Charlee in full game-time uniform.
—Zoey Lyttle, Peoplemag, 9 Nov. 2023
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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
Adjective and Adverb
Middle English, from Anglo-French precios, from Latin pretiosus, from pretium price — more at price entry 1
Adjective
13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Adverb
1595, in the meaning defined above
Phrases Containing precious
Dictionary Entries Near precious
Cite this Entry
“Precious.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/precious. Accessed 6 Dec. 2023.
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Kids Definition
precious
adjectiveAdjective
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
Nglish: Translation of precious for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of precious for Arabic Speakers
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