adj. 1. Of high cost or worth; valuable: precious jewels. 2. Highly esteemed; cherished: precious moments with the new baby. 3. Dear; beloved: a friend who is precious to me. 4. Affectedly dainty or overrefined: precious mannerisms. 5. Informal Thoroughgoing; unmitigated: a precious mess. n. One who is dear or beloved; a darling. adv. [Middle English, from Old French precios, from Latin pretiōsus, from pretium, price; see per-5 in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.] precious·ly adv. precious·ness n. |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.