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
Michael Hanback, Outdoor Life, 7 Nov. 2024
Viewers joined Jenn with tears over Romeo's precious reaction to his dad coming home.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2024
Looking elegantly windblown in a sweater, her mass of hair cascading like the precious garland of some Irish deity, Farrow has a tendency to trail off in conversation.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 4 Nov. 2024
During the Second World War, five salvage firms were appointed to retrieve precious cargoes sunk by the Germans and to keep Britain’s ports accessible.
—Sam Knight, The New Yorker, 4 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for precious 
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Adjective
Good post for a mid- to late-November afternoon: 70 to 100 yards back in timber and along the thickest, nastiest ditch that leads out to crops.
59) Don’t waste precious rut-hunting time.
—Michael Hanback, Outdoor Life, 7 Nov. 2024
Viewers joined Jenn with tears over Romeo's precious reaction to his dad coming home.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2024
Looking elegantly windblown in a sweater, her mass of hair cascading like the precious garland of some Irish deity, Farrow has a tendency to trail off in conversation.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 4 Nov. 2024
During the Second World War, five salvage firms were appointed to retrieve precious cargoes sunk by the Germans and to keep Britain’s ports accessible.
—Sam Knight, The New Yorker, 4 Nov. 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 21 Nov. 2024.
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