precious

pre·cious

P0510600 (prĕsh′əs)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. Used as an intensive: "He had precious little right to complain" (James Agee).

[Middle English, from Old French precios, from Latin pretiōsus, from pretium, price; see per- in Indo-European roots.]

pre′cious·ly adv.pre′cious·ness n.

precious

(ˈprɛʃəs) adj1. beloved; dear; cherished2. very costly or valuable3. held in high esteem, esp in moral or spiritual matters4. very fastidious or affected, as in speech, manners, etc5. informal worthless: you and your precious ideas!. advinformal (intensifier): there's precious little left. [C13: from Old French precios, from Latin pretiōsus valuable, from pretium price, value] ˈpreciously adv ˈpreciousness n

pre•cious

(ˈprɛʃ əs)

adj. 1. of high price or great value: precious metals. 2. highly esteemed for some nonmaterial quality: precious memories. 3. dear; beloved: a precious child. 4. designating a stone or crystal, esp. a diamond, ruby, sapphire, or emerald, valued as rare and beautiful, used in jewelry. 5. affectedly or excessively refined. 6. flagrant; gross: a precious fool. n. 7. a dearly beloved person; darling. adv. 8. extremely; very: We have precious little time. [1250–1300; Middle English preciose (< Old French precios) < Latin pretiōsus costly, valuable =preti(um) price, value + -ōsus -ous] pre′cious•ly, adv. pre′cious•ness, n.

Thesaurus

Adj.	1.	precious - characterized by feeling or showing fond affection for; "a cherished friend"; "children are precious"; "a treasured heirloom"; "so good to feel wanted"cherished, treasured, wantedloved - held dear; "his loved companion of many years"
	2.	precious - of high worth or cost; "diamonds, sapphires, rubies, and emeralds are precious stones"valuable - having great material or monetary value especially for use or exchange; "a valuable diamond"
	3.	precious - held in great esteem for admirable qualities especially of an intrinsic nature; "a valued friend"; "precious memories"valuedworthy - having worth or merit or value; being honorable or admirable; "a worthy fellow"; "a worthy cause"
	4.	precious - obviously contrived to charm; "an insufferably precious performance"; "a child with intolerably cute mannerisms"cuteartful - marked by skill in achieving a desired end especially with cunning or craft; "the artful dodger"; "an artful choice of metaphors"
Adv.	1.	precious - extremely; "there is precious little time left"preciouslyintensifier, intensive - a modifier that has little meaning except to intensify the meaning it modifies; "`up' in `finished up' is an intensifier"; "`honestly' in `I honestly don't know' is an intensifier"

precious

adjective1. valuable, expensive, rare, fine, choice, prized, dear, costly, high-priced, exquisite, invaluable, priceless, recherché, inestimable jewellery and precious objects belonging to her mother
valuable cheap, worthless, rubbishy, trashy, a dime a dozen, nickel-and-dime (U.S. slang), paltry, two a penny (informal), valueless2. loved, valued, favourite, prized, dear, dearest, treasured, darling, beloved, adored, cherished, fave (informal), idolized, worth your or its weight in gold her most precious possession3. affected, artificial, fastidious, twee (Brit. informal), chichi, overrefined, overnice Actors, he decided, were all precious and neurotic.

precious

adjective1. Of great value:costly, inestimable, invaluable, priceless, valuable, worthy.Idioms: beyond price, of great price.2. Regarded with much love and tenderness:beloved, darling, dear, loved.3. Artificially genteel:affected, artificial, mannered.Informal: la-di-da.nounA person who is much loved:beloved, darling, dear, honey, love, minion, sweet, sweetheart, truelove.Informal: sweetie.Idiom: light of one's life.

Translations

宝贵的

precious

(ˈpreʃəs) adjective of great value. precious jewels.宝贵的precious metal a valuable metal such as gold, silver or platinum. 贵金属precious stone a jewel; a gem. diamonds, emeralds and other precious stones.宝石precious few/little very few/little. I've precious little money left.极少

precious

→ 宝贵的zhCN

precious

precious few

adjective Not much; scant. (Used solely with plural countable nouns; "precious little" is used with uncountable nouns.) He's had precious few job offers since he got out of college. We've had precious few details about the deal, so rumors are flying around the office at the moment.See also: few, precious

precious little

1. adjective Not much; scant. (Used solely with uncountable nouns; "precious few" is used with plural countable nouns.) There's precious little evidence connecting him to the crime, but the prosecution is adamant that he's their man. We've had precious little information about the deal, so rumors are flying around the office at the moment.2. noun A very small amount (of something). We still know precious little about who might be involved with the attack. There's been precious little in the way of details about the trade deal being struck between the two countries.See also: little, precious

time is money

Time is a valuable commodity, so we should be as quick or expeditious as possible. My dad was of the firm believe that time is money, so he never really liked to sit back, relax, and do nothing—he always needed some project to be working on. Come on, come on, time is money—tell me what you want already!See also: money, time

precious few

and precious littlevery few; very little. (Few for people or things that can be counted, and little for amounts.) We get precious few tourists here in the winter. There's precious little food in the house and there is no money.See also: few, precious

Time is money.

(My) time is valuable, so don't waste it. I can't afford to spend a lot of time standing here talking. Time is money, you know! People who keep saying time is money may be working too hard.See also: money, time

precious few

Also, precious little. Very few, very little, as in There are precious few leaves left on the trees, or We have precious little fuel left. In these idioms precious serves as an intensive, a colloquial usage dating from the first half of the 1800s. See also: few, precious

time is money

One's time is a valuable commodity, as in I can't stay home and wait any longer; time is money, you know. This proverbial term goes back to one first recorded in 1572, time is precious, in a discourse on usury. See also: money, time

precious little

precious few

If you say that there is precious little of something, you mean that there is very little of it, and that it would be better if there were more. The banks have had precious little to celebrate recently. Note: Precious few is used before plural nouns with the same meaning. Precious few homebuyers will notice any reduction in their monthly repayments.See also: little, precious

precious little (or few)

extremely little (or few).See also: little, precious

time is money

time is a valuable resource, therefore it's better to do things as quickly as possible. proverb The present form of the expression seems to originate in a speech made by Benjamin Franklin in 1748 , but the sentiment is much older. The saying ‘the most costly outlay is time’ is attributed to the 5th-century BC Athenian orator and politician Antiphon.See also: money, time

precious ˈfew/ˈlittle

(informal) very few/little: There are precious few places round here where you can get good Indian food.See also: few, little, precious

time is ˈmoney

(saying) time is valuable, and should not be wastedThis saying was first used by the American politician Benjamin Franklin in 1748.See also: money, time

precious few

Hardly any. The use of precious for “very” or “extremely” dates from the first half of the nineteenth century, and so does its pairing with “few.” For some reason it is never paired with any other adjective; one never hears of “precious many.” A. Gray used it in a letter of 1839, “While on the Continent I have received precious few letters,” and Neville Chamberlain used it in a speech to the House of Commons (August 26, 1886): “Precious few of them have declared in favour of the bill.”See also: few, precious

time is money

One’s time is a precious commodity. The sentiment for this phrase dates from ancient times, but the exact wording is most often attributed to Benjamin Franklin in his Advice to a Young Tradesman (1748): “Remember that time is money.” Charles Dickens elaborated on it in Nicholas Nickleby (1839): “Time is money . . . And very good money too to those who reckon interest by it.”See also: money, time

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time is money

precious few

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precious little (or few)

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precious ˈfew/ˈlittle

time is ˈmoney

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Synonyms for precious

adj valuable

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adj loved

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adj affected

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adj of great value

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adj regarded with much love and tenderness

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adj artificially genteel

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noun a person who is much loved

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Synonyms for precious

adj characterized by feeling or showing fond affection for

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adj of high worth or cost

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adj held in great esteem for admirable qualities especially of an intrinsic nature

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adj obviously contrived to charm

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adv extremely

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