ENGLISH DICTIONARY

Precious

Definition, Meaning & Examples

Pronunciation /ˈpɹɛʃ.əs/ · Part of speech adjective

Quick meaning: Precious is an adjective meaning Of high value or worth.

Meaning

Of high value or worth.

More Meanings

  1. Regarded with love or tenderness.
  2. (derogatory, antiphrastic) Treated with too much reverence.
  3. (writing, ironic) Excessively complicated.
  4. (informal, followed by about) Extremely protective or strict (about something).
  5. (informal, derogatory) Blasted; damned.
  6. (derogatory) Contrived to be cute or charming.
  7. (colloquial) Thorough; utter.

Example Sentences

Writers are often very precious about their work.
The way my partner looks at me is just so precious.
He spent hours painting the eyes of the portrait, which his fellow artists regarded as a bit precious.
Pro chefs can be very precious about their kit. Watch a bartender trying to borrow a simple, cheap fruit-knife from the kitchen and you'll see what I mean.

Word Forms

Synonyms for precious

Depending on context, synonyms include dear, valuable, estimable, worthy, worthly, prizable.

Related Words

Related dictionary entries include cherished, preciously, treasured, wanted, valuable, artful.

Related Dictionary Tools

Sources & Attribution

FreeDictionaryAPI.com / Wiktionary · Original source · CC BY-SA 4.0

Dictionary data is provided by FreeDictionaryAPI.com and sourced from Wiktionary under its stated license.