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 WebAlena Botros, Fortune Europe, 27 June 2024
Marta Bassani-Prusik, head of precious metals trade at the Mint of Poland, said her clients include Poles who recall such family histories, as well as people with Polish roots who return to see the land of their ancestors, some of whom fled the Warsaw Ghetto.
—Vanessa Gera, The Christian Science Monitor, 27 June 2024
Despite its reputation as the king of precious metals, during good economic times, gold is not often thought of as an investment.
—Zain Jaffer, Rolling Stone, 26 June 2024
That’s certainly true of the collection that’s being celebrated, with its unique and distinctive geometry of stones and precious metals.
—Mark Holgate, Vogue, 25 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for precious 
Adjective
Watches of Switzerland warned earlier this year that sales and profit would be weaker than anticipated as it wasn’t allocated as many gold and other precious metal watches from Rolex and as UK consumers turned more cautious.
—Alena Botros, Fortune Europe, 27 June 2024
Marta Bassani-Prusik, head of precious metals trade at the Mint of Poland, said her clients include Poles who recall such family histories, as well as people with Polish roots who return to see the land of their ancestors, some of whom fled the Warsaw Ghetto.
—Vanessa Gera, The Christian Science Monitor, 27 June 2024
Despite its reputation as the king of precious metals, during good economic times, gold is not often thought of as an investment.
—Zain Jaffer, Rolling Stone, 26 June 2024
That’s certainly true of the collection that’s being celebrated, with its unique and distinctive geometry of stones and precious metals.
—Mark Holgate, Vogue, 25 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for precious
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.
Dictionary Entries Near precious
Cite this Entry
“Precious.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/precious. Accessed 4 Jul. 2024.
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