Link Centre Dictionary

precious

pre·cious

UK/ˈpɹɛʃ.əs/ US/ˈpʰɹʷɛʃ.əs] ~ [ˈpʰɹʷɛʃ.s̩/ common informal
adjective (3) adverb (1)

adjective

1.

characterized by feeling or showing fond affection for

  • “a cherished friend”
  • “children are precious”
  • “a treasured heirloom”
  • “so good to feel wanted”
Synonyms
Similar
2.

of high worth or cost

  • “diamonds, sapphires, rubies, and emeralds are precious stones”
Similar
3.

obviously contrived to charm

  • “an insufferably precious performance”
  • “a child with intolerably cute mannerisms”
Synonyms
Similar

adverb

1.

extremely

  • “there is precious little time left”
Synonyms

Origin

Inherited 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.

Phrases

  • Precious Blood
  • precious coral
  • precious few
  • precious little
  • precious metal
  • precious stone

Related words

Word family

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.