AdjectiveThat 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, 2008Of 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 2008The 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. See More
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
Labor Day is behind us, school is back in session, and the warm days of summer are dwindling down to a precious few. Duante Beddingfield, Detroit Free Press, 8 Sep. 2022 In addition to her precious Cornelia James gloves, Launer handbags and Barbour jackets, some brands graced with the royal warrant include Burberry, Pringle of Scotland knitwear, Hunter boots and Cartier. Rory Satran, WSJ, 8 Sep. 2022 In solitary confinement, human touch becomes as precious as water in the desert. James Burns, The New Yorker, 7 Sep. 2022 The Broncos turned those precious seconds into a field goal as the clock expired, winning as a 7.5-point underdog. Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Sep. 2022 Handmade with porcelain, these delicate little succulent earrings would look so precious on a plant lover's lobes. Corinne Sullivan, Good Housekeeping, 7 Sep. 2022 Long live the fig—and long live its precious little fig wasps. Ali Francis, Bon Appétit, 7 Sep. 2022 That leaves it with precious little room for error. Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 6 Sep. 2022 Frustrated by her own experience as a busy person giving up precious weeknights to unsuccessful dates, Forbes 30 Under 30 winner Lizz Warner founded Gleam in 2019. Emily Dreibelbis, PCMAG, 6 Sep. 2022 See More
Word History
Etymology
Adjective and Adverb
Middle English, from Anglo-French precios, from Latin pretiosus, from pretium price — more at price entry 1