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 of valuable

Adjective

• expensive
• costly
• precious
• premium

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

Apple sees its second leadership change since Steve Jobs, with CEO Tim Cook set to be succeeded by John Ternus to lead the world’s second most valuable company. —Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 21 Apr. 2026

Scalping tickets wasn’t new, of course, but Kahn believed that its formalization online provided sports teams, and other entertainment businesses, with valuable information about demand that could enable them to make more money without alienating their most loyal fans. —John Cassidy, New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2026

Noun

The bigger problem was when that robber also demanded the motorman’s personal money and valuables. —Richard Selcer, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 25 Apr. 2026

The publication — and, in particular, the careful description of the valuables — sparked dozens of media reports. —Jake Sheridan, Chicago Tribune, 24 Apr. 2026

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

Rhymes for valuable

• evaluable
• invaluable

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