What does "precious" mean?
Someone (or something) who is loved; a darling.
Precious
/ˈpɹɛʃ.əs/ adj, adv, name, noun, slang
adj, adv, name, noun, slang ·Common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Someone (or something) who is loved; a darling.
- Grammar: precious is listed as adj, adv, name, noun, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: cherished, treasured, valued, absolute.
- Useful contrasts: base assumption, cheap, common.
- Usage evidence: Your friendship is most precious to me.
How to use "precious"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "precious" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "precious" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "precious" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "precious" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "precious" is acting as adj, adv, name, noun, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "cherished" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "precious", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Someone (or something) who is loved; a darling.
"“It isn't fair, my precious, is it, to ask us what it's got in its nassty little pocketses?”"
Adjective
- 1 Of high value or worth.
"People are a good thing, the most precious resource in a rich economy, so the progressive-minded feel. Only misanthropists disagree or the dottier Malthusians who send green-ink tweets deploring any state assistance for child-rearing."
- 2 Regarded with love or tenderness.
"The way my partner looks at me is just so precious."
- 3 Treated with too much reverence. derogatory
"He spent hours painting the eyes of the portrait, which his fellow artists regarded as a bit precious."
- 4 Excessively complicated. ironic
- 5 Extremely protective or strict (about something). informal
"Writers are often very precious about their work."
Show 3 more definitions
- 6 Blasted; damned. derogatory, informal
"It’s all owing to your precious caution that they got hold of it. If you had let me burn it, and taken my word that it was gone, it would have been a heap of ashes behind the fire, instead of being whole and sound, inside of my great-coat."
- 7 Contrived to be cute or charming. derogatory
"In the abstract, Stuhlbarg’s twinkly-eyed sidekick suggests Joe Pesci in Lethal Weapon 2 by way of late-period Robin Williams with an alien twist, but Stuhlbarg makes a character that easily could have come across as precious into a surprisingly palatable, even charming man."
- 8 Thorough; utter. colloquial
"a precious rascal"
Adjective
- 1 obviously contrived to charm wordnet
- 2 characterized by feeling or showing fond affection for wordnet
- 3 of high worth or cost wordnet
- 4 held in great esteem for admirable qualities especially of an intrinsic nature wordnet
Adverb
- 1 Very; an intensifier. not-comparable
"There is precious little we can do."
Adverb
- 1 used to give emphasis wordnet
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname transferred from the nickname, originating as a male or female nickname.
- 2 A female given name from English.
"She and Mma Ramotswe were fortunate, with their reasonably straightforward names of Grace and Precious respectively; she had contemporaries who were not so fortunate and had been saddled by their parents with names that were frankly ridiculous."
Antonyms
Example
"Your friendship is most precious to me."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "precious"?
Common synonyms include: cherished, treasured, valued, absolute, admired, adored.
How do you use "precious" in a sentence?
Your friendship is most precious to me.
How do you pronounce "precious"?
Pronounced /ˈpɹɛʃ.əs/.
Etymology
From Middle English precious, borrowed from Old French precios (“valuable, costly, precious, beloved, also affected, finical”), from Latin pretiōsus (“of great value, costly, dear, precious”), from pretium (“value, price”); see price.