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
Dev Patnaik, Forbes, 12 Jan. 2025
This week, the 83-year-old mogul shared a precious photo of her and horse Bond on Instagram, where she can be seen bundled up against the frigid New York weather in a puffer coat and a clever winter accessory that Oprah Winfrey also approves of: a collar scarf.
—Clara McMahon, People.com, 11 Jan. 2025
Nothing looks more precious than a rabbit bunny-hopping toward you across the floor, and petting luxuriously smooth rabbit fur is pure joy.
—Claire Thornton, USA TODAY, 11 Jan. 2025
Water for the ambitious project would come from California’s precious share of the Colorado River flow.
—Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 10 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for precious 
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Adjective
Similarly, streaming companies that got spooked by a moment of softening demand have now lost precious ground in a rapidly consolidating industry.
—Dev Patnaik, Forbes, 12 Jan. 2025
This week, the 83-year-old mogul shared a precious photo of her and horse Bond on Instagram, where she can be seen bundled up against the frigid New York weather in a puffer coat and a clever winter accessory that Oprah Winfrey also approves of: a collar scarf.
—Clara McMahon, People.com, 11 Jan. 2025
Nothing looks more precious than a rabbit bunny-hopping toward you across the floor, and petting luxuriously smooth rabbit fur is pure joy.
—Claire Thornton, USA TODAY, 11 Jan. 2025
Water for the ambitious project would come from California’s precious share of the Colorado River flow.
—Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 10 Jan. 2025
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 Jan. 2025.
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