precious
561
3.2
- adjective
- /ˈprɛʃəs/
- They held onto their precious memories from their childhood vacations at the beach.
- precious time
- spend precious time
- waste precious time
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Watch on YouTubeThis is like it but it is precious and I love it.
- This is like it but it is precious and I love it.
- It really brought home how precious our memories are.
- In particular, anything that might corrupt our precious white darlings.
- I've maintained many of my precious Stanford friendships.
- They give the most precious thing in the world to teachers.
- And then almost you're having this really precious, personal, beautiful moment.
- If you believe life is precious, clearly you know it's also short.
- You know, that's the distinction that was very precious to my father.
- I pray for his precious loved ones!
- Because our most precious resource is time, not money.
Examples
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And I think awareness is the most precious kind of freedom.
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Her ring is precious to her because it was passed down from her grandmother.
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You have to realize that life is precious, right?
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Do you know, do you really know how precious life is?
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If you believe life is precious, clearly you know it's also short.
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And I know we have some precious time with you before you take off.
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- Those were your most precious things when you were little.
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I have the most precious cargo with me.
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It really brought home how precious our memories are.
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Yeah, as one family, we mourn every precious life that's been lost.
Synonyms
518
1.0
A person or thing that someone cares about very much
353
2.1
Very much loved, often for a long time
63
1.8
Loved very much by someone
44
3.7
A person or thing that people see as important because of good qualities
42
3.4
Very valuable to someone because they care about it
39
3.4
Very much loved and kept, like a special photo or memory
24
4.1
A thing people keep because they love it and it brings memories
Antonyms
Idioms
Compounds
1
3.6
A stone like amethyst or turquoise used in jewelry that costs less than diamonds
1
7.5
A hard red or pink stony skeleton from Mediterranean sea animals used for jewelry
How Cherished
Surface Forms
Morphology
precious = preci + ous
The adjectival formation involves the non-productive combining form 'preci-' plus the suffix '-ous'; the root form is not a recognisable English base, so learners cannot reliably derive the meaning from the parts.
Etymology
Precious comes from the Latin word pretium meaning 'price' and is the same root as price, so a 'precious' memory is like something you would put a high price on — very loved and special.