Precious
Sweet pet name
Precious describes something of great value or importance, often with emotional rather than monetary worth: precious memories, precious time.
Applied to gems and metals, it indicates rarity and high value: precious stones, precious metals.
When describing people, especially children, precious means cherished or beloved: my precious little girl.
The word can turn negative when it suggests excessive refinement or affectation—a precious writing style is overwrought and self-conscious.
Used sarcastically, precious mocks someone's inflated sense of their own importance: Isn't she precious.
Ornamental precious stones
- gemsCut precious stones
- diamondsPrecious crystallized carbon
- goldElement seventy-nine
- treasureValued wealth or keepsake
heirloom · rare · irreplaceable · costly · expensive · sapphire · ruby · emerald
Element seventy-nine
- silverLustrous white precious metal
- platinumDense precious silvery metal
- palladiumElement forty-six, catalytic metal
- bullionPrecious metal in bulk
ingot · troy ounce · karat · assay · refinery · mint · reserve · investment
Beloved person or pet
- cherishedHeld dear, prized
- dearTreasured or costly
- sweetheartAffectionate name for beloved
- lovedFelt strong affection for
adored · treasured · baby · angel · honey · dearest · special · irreplaceable
Falsely grand or important
- tweeAffectedly dainty or quaint
- cloyingExcessively sweet or sentimental
- saccharineExaggeratedly sentimental
- overwroughtExcessively emotional or elaborate
fussy · mannered · contrived · artificial · cutesy · simpering · prissy · theatrical
jewels
Ornamental precious stones
treasure · heirloom · rare · irreplaceable · costly · expensive · sapphire · ruby · emerald · pearl
gold
Element seventy-nine
- silverLustrous white precious metal
- platinumDense precious silvery metal
- palladiumElement forty-six, catalytic metal
bullion · ingot · troy ounce · karat · assay · refinery · mint · reserve · investment · commodity
darling
Beloved person or pet
- cherishedHeld dear, prized
- dearTreasured or costly
- sweetheartAffectionate name for beloved
loved · adored · treasured · baby · angel · honey · dearest · special · irreplaceable · only child
pretentious
Falsely grand or important
- tweeAffectedly dainty or quaint
- cloyingExcessively sweet or sentimental
- saccharineExaggeratedly sentimental
overwrought · fussy · mannered · contrived · artificial · cutesy · simpering · prissy · theatrical · exaggerated
limited
Restricted in extent
running out · commodity · resource · water · time · opportunity · rationed · conserved · hoarded · guarded
- Black CinemaDo the Right Thing, Moonlight, Black Panther, Coming to America, Friday
- South African NamesMandela, Shaka, Cetshwayo, Kruger, Meyer
- Lionsgate FilmsHunger Games, Twilight, John Wick, Divergent, La La Land
- nicknamesnickname, pet name, alias, handle, moniker
- Hobbitshobbit, hobbits, Bilbo, Hobbiton, Frodo
- Working-Class DramaThe Full Monty, Norma Rae, Billy Elliot, Rosetta, Sweet Sixteen
Preciousworthless
Lacking any value
valueless · cheap · dispensable · expendable · meaningless
Preciouscommon
Widespread and unremarkable
abundant · plentiful · ordinary · commonplace · ubiquitous
Preciousunpretentious
Lacking false superiority
unaffected · natural · genuine · down-to-earth · straightforward
- precious metalsRare, valuable metallic elements
- precious stonesRare, valued mineral specimens
- precious littleAn extremely small quantity
- my preciousPossessive endearment for treasured object
- semi-precious stoneValued mineral, not rare
- precious gemstonesRare, valuable mineral crystals