Precious
['preʃəs] or ['prɛʃəs]
Definition
(adj.) of high worth or cost; 'diamonds, sapphires, rubies, and emeralds are precious stones' .
(adv.) extremely; 'there is precious little time left'.
Editor: Lyle--From WordNet
Definition
(a.) Of great price; costly; as, a precious stone.
(a.) Of great value or worth; very valuable; highly esteemed; dear; beloved; as, precious recollections.
(a.) Particular; fastidious; overnice.
Inputed by Katherine
Synonyms and Synonymous
a. [1]. Costly, of great price.[2]. Very valuable, of great worth, of great value.[3]. Dear, beloved, darling, very estimable, highly esteemed or valued.
Typed by Ferris
Synonyms and Antonyms
SYN:Dear, valuable, costly, cherished, treasured, beloved, estimable,of_great_value
ANT:Cheap, valueless, worthless, unvalued, disesteemed, unappreciated, vile
Editor: Upton
Definition
adj. of great price or worth: costly: highly esteemed: worthless contemptible (in irony): fastidious overnice: (coll.) considerable: (B.) valuable because rare.—adv. (coll.) extremely.—n. Precios′ity fastidiousness affected overrefinement.—adv. Prec′iously.—ns. Prec′ious-met′al a metal of great value as gold or silver; Prec′iousness; Prec′ious-stone a stone of value and beauty for ornamentation: a gem or jewel.
Editor: Shanna
Examples
- At last he grasped the manuscript upon which Jane Porter had been writing, and as cautiously withdrew his arm and hand, holding the precious treasure. Edgar Rice Burroughs. Tarzan of the Apes.
- Your favourable opinion then, my Precious, does less than justice to Mr Boffin, and more than justice to me. Charles Dickens. Our Mutual Friend.
- So he said, My precious little woman, what are you doing here? Charles Dickens. Bleak House.
- Business between you and me being out of the question to-day, young man, and my time being precious,' said Miss Jenny then, 'I'll make myself scarce. Charles Dickens. Our Mutual Friend.
- He chose the trade of a lapidary, or polisher of precious stones, an art which in that age was held in almost as high esteem as that of the painter or sculptor. Rupert S. Holland. Historic Inventions.
- They was, my lady, said Horrocks, and precious little else we get there neither. William Makepeace Thackeray. Vanity Fair.
- The twelve precious publications which I had scattered through the house, on the previous day; all returned to me by the doctor's orders! Wilkie Collins. The Moonstone.
- One more minute of precious time would have saved him. Mark Twain. The Innocents Abroad.
- I took up my bag-full of precious publications, feeling as if I could have gone on talking for hours. Wilkie Collins. The Moonstone.
- Yes,' replied the voice, 'and precious down in the mouth he has been. Charles Dickens. Oliver Twist.
- It seems to be a precious small one, if that's it,' said the boy. Charles Dickens. Our Mutual Friend.
- Gold, then as now, was the most precious and therefore most portable, security. H. G. Wells. The Outline of History_Being a Plain History of Life and Mankind.
- Nor did I ask him what his precious situation was. Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell. North and South.
- We have got a precious one. Charles Dickens. Our Mutual Friend.
- Yet it was used abundantly, and there was a steady flow of the precious metals eastward in exchange. H. G. Wells. The Outline of History_Being a Plain History of Life and Mankind.
- Silas Wegg, you are a precious old rascal. Charles Dickens. Our Mutual Friend.
- But time is precious. Ernest Hemingway. A Farewell To Arms.
- For many precious generations the new-lit fires of the human intelligence were to be seriously banked down by this by-product. H. G. Wells. The Outline of History_Being a Plain History of Life and Mankind.
- Why, my precious child,' returned her husband, laughing outright: 'how could I be jealous of him? Charles Dickens. Our Mutual Friend.
- After rendering this general tribute to the port, Mr. Snagsby in his modesty coughs an apology behind his hand for drinking anything so precious. Charles Dickens. Bleak House.
- Everything that belongs to her, or is connected with her, is precious to me. Charles Dickens. David Copperfield.
- Think how precious your time is, Gilmore, and don't throw it away. Wilkie Collins. The Woman in White.
- The facts and laws of physics, with the assistance of mathematical logic, never fail to furnish precious answers to such questions. Frank Lewis Dyer. Edison, His Life and Inventions.
- Devoid of parents, devoid of relations, devoid of flocks and herds, devoid of gold and silver and of precious stones. Charles Dickens. Bleak House.
- They must be held precious; they are kept carefully. Charlotte Bronte. Shirley.
- How precious dull you are, Tommy! Charles Dickens. Oliver Twist.
- Some one, then, was in that room where my precious treaty lay upon the table. Arthur Conan Doyle. The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes.
- Oh, mamma, mamma, I wish I had never gone to aunt Shaw's, and been all those precious years away from you! Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell. North and South.
- She's bad enough as it is, with her dreams and her methodee fancies, and her visions of cities with goulden gates and precious stones. Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell. North and South.
- It's more than a precious stone. Arthur Conan Doyle. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.
Editor: Shanna