1
: of great value or high price
precious jewels
2
: highly esteemed or cherished
a precious friend
3
: excessively refined : affected entry 2
precious manners
4
: great, thoroughgoing
a precious scoundrel
preciousness
noun
Synonyms
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
Norman Ellstrand and Nathan Ellstrand / Made By History, TIME, 23 Dec. 2024
Actors Aubrey Plaza and Maisy Stella do a fantastic job of invoking a bittersweet nostalgia while reminding us just how precious the present moment is.
—Vox Staff, Vox, 23 Dec. 2024
The top-performing subsectors were precious metals, banking, and oil & gas.
—Brendan Ahern, Forbes, 23 Dec. 2024
Greenland is rich in valuable minerals, including rare earth metals, precious metals, precious stones, coal, graphite, and uranium, but its geography and climate makes commercially viable mining challenging, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce's International Trade Association.
—Alexandra Hutzler, ABC News, 23 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for precious 
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Adjective
Her cousin reminded her that a gift given in love is precious in God’s eyes.
—Norman Ellstrand and Nathan Ellstrand / Made By History, TIME, 23 Dec. 2024
Actors Aubrey Plaza and Maisy Stella do a fantastic job of invoking a bittersweet nostalgia while reminding us just how precious the present moment is.
—Vox Staff, Vox, 23 Dec. 2024
The top-performing subsectors were precious metals, banking, and oil & gas.
—Brendan Ahern, Forbes, 23 Dec. 2024
Greenland is rich in valuable minerals, including rare earth metals, precious metals, precious stones, coal, graphite, and uranium, but its geography and climate makes commercially viable mining challenging, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce's International Trade Association.
—Alexandra Hutzler, ABC News, 23 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for precious
Dictionary Entries Near precious
Cite this Entry
“Precious.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/precious. Accessed 31 Dec. 2024.
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