Meaning & use
precious
Of great value, worth, or importance, and therefore treated with great care.
See it in a sentence
Time with her grandchildren became more precious as she grew older.
The museum keeps its most precious artifacts behind reinforced glass.
A note on using this word
Used critically, precious can also describe speech or manners that are affectedly delicate or overly refined.
Words with a similar meaning
valuablecherished
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Words with an opposite meaning
Another way to use it
2. adjective
Excessively refined, affected, or overly concerned with detail.
His precious manner of speaking annoyed the other guests at dinner.
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