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
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
Katie Jackson, Travel + Leisure, 26 Oct. 2025
Through the most tumultuous years of their young lives — personally and globally — Kate and Frida show each other how to overcome self-doubt and embrace joy even through their darkest hours in the last precious years before the internet changed everything.
—Nora Dahlia, PEOPLE, 25 Oct. 2025
Des Cars admitted that security around the Louvre's perimeter was an issue and that the only camera monitoring the outside of the museum was facing away from the balcony that led to the gallery where the precious jewels were kept, according to reports.
—Rachel Wolf, FOXNews.com, 23 Oct. 2025
Experts warn that the $100 million worth of jewelry taken from the Louvre in a brazen daytime heist is likely to be dismantled for its precious gems and metals, destroying artifacts dating back to the Napoleonic era.
—Alexandra Banner, CNN Money, 23 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for precious
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Adjective
My husband loves that this particular style is infused with a touch of precious metal to give off a slight metallic sheen.
—Katie Jackson, Travel + Leisure, 26 Oct. 2025
Through the most tumultuous years of their young lives — personally and globally — Kate and Frida show each other how to overcome self-doubt and embrace joy even through their darkest hours in the last precious years before the internet changed everything.
—Nora Dahlia, PEOPLE, 25 Oct. 2025
Des Cars admitted that security around the Louvre's perimeter was an issue and that the only camera monitoring the outside of the museum was facing away from the balcony that led to the gallery where the precious jewels were kept, according to reports.
—Rachel Wolf, FOXNews.com, 23 Oct. 2025
Experts warn that the $100 million worth of jewelry taken from the Louvre in a brazen daytime heist is likely to be dismantled for its precious gems and metals, destroying artifacts dating back to the Napoleonic era.
—Alexandra Banner, CNN Money, 23 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for precious
Cite this Entry
“Precious.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/precious. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share