precious
/ˈpreʃəs/adjective
उच्चारण प्रेशस
बहुमूल्य, कीमती
Basic wordPYP · asked 7 times
Asked in previous papers
as antonym
+2 more
SSC CHSL Pre 2021SSC Delhi Police 2026- 1
rare and worth a lot of money
बहुमूल्य, कीमती
- precious stones such as diamonds and rubies
- The museum keeps precious stones in a locked vault.
- The queen wore a necklace of precious stones.
+ 2 more examples
- Gold and silver are precious metals.
- The thief stole several precious jewels from the temple.
- 2
valuable or important and not to be wasted
अनमोल, अमूल्य
- Do not waste precious time on gossip.
- Water is a precious resource.
- Every minute is precious in the exam hall.
+ 2 more examples
- Rainwater is precious in dry regions.
- She did not want to waste her precious holiday on housework.
Synonyms valuable prized invaluable
- 3
~ (to sb)
loved very much
प्रिय, जान से प्यारा
- Her grandmother's ring is precious to her.
- That old photograph is precious to my grandmother.
- The children are precious to their parents.
+ 2 more examples
- This watch is precious to me because my father gave it to me.
- Her precious memories of school stayed with her.
§Structures (grammar patterns) 5
precious + noun
Before a noun, precious means rare and costly or deeply valued: precious metals, precious time.
Noun से पहले 'precious' का अर्थ दुर्लभ और महँगा या अत्यंत मूल्यवान है, जैसे precious metals, precious time।
- Gold and silver are precious metals.
- Do not waste your precious time on gossip.
precious to sb
Use to to show the person for whom something is dear.
जिस व्यक्ति के लिए कोई चीज़ प्रिय हो, उसे बताने के लिए 'to' आता है।
- The old photograph is precious to my grandmother.
precious little / precious few
In informal speech, precious little means almost none and precious few means almost no one.
बोलचाल में 'precious little' का अर्थ लगभग कुछ नहीं और 'precious few' का अर्थ लगभग कोई नहीं है।
- There was precious little time to prepare.
- Precious few students solved the last question.
precious (ironic)
With a sneer, precious can describe a person as affected or fussy; the tone is critical.
व्यंग्य के साथ 'precious' किसी व्यक्ति को बनावटी या नख़रेबाज़ बताता है; इसका स्वर आलोचनात्मक होता है।
- His precious manners annoyed the team.
precious as a noun of endearment
In informal speech, precious can be used as a term of address for a loved one, especially a child.
बोलचाल में 'precious' किसी प्रिय, विशेषकर बच्चे, के लिए संबोधन के रूप में आ सकता है।
- Come here, my precious.
+Collocations 5
precious + noun
metalstonetimememoriesgiftlife
- Radhika treasures the precious memories of her school days.
adverb + precious
extremelyverymostespeciallyequally
- Water is most precious in the desert.
precious to / for
to meto the familyto the nation
- Freedom is precious to every nation.
verb + precious
holdregardconsiderfindkeep
- She holds her mother's letters precious.
precious + abstract noun
momentsfreedomhealthfriendshipopportunity
- Health is the most precious thing a person owns.
“More examples 6
- Every minute is precious on the day of the exam.
परीक्षा के दिन हर मिनट कीमती होता है।
- The museum guards a precious manuscript of the epic.
संग्रहालय महाकाव्य की एक बहुमूल्य पांडुलिपि की रक्षा करता है।
- There was precious little water left in the village well.
गाँव के कुएँ में बहुत ही कम पानी बचा था।
- Children are the most precious gift of a family.
बच्चे परिवार का सबसे अनमोल उपहार होते हैं।
- The bride wore precious stones set in gold.
दुल्हन ने सोने में जड़े बहुमूल्य रत्न पहने थे।
- Radhika kept her grandmother's precious silver anklets in a small box.
राधिका ने अपनी दादी की बहुमूल्य चाँदी की पायल एक छोटे डिब्बे में सँभालकर रखी।
!Common mistakes 3
✗ He wasted his precious times in games.
✓ He wasted his precious time in games.
Time in this general sense is uncountable and has no plural.
इस सामान्य अर्थ में 'time' uncountable है और उसका plural नहीं होता।
✗ This ring is precious for me.
✓ This ring is precious to me.
The usual preposition after precious is to.
'Precious' के बाद सामान्य preposition 'to' है।
✗ He is a preciousest friend.
✓ He is a most precious friend.
Longer adjectives form the superlative with most, not est.
लंबे adjectives का superlative 'most' से बनता है, 'est' से नहीं।
◇Word family
≈Synonyms and antonyms
§Grammar and usage
Note that invaluable means extremely valuable, not 'not valuable'.
ध्यान रखिए कि invaluable का अर्थ 'अत्यंत मूल्यवान' है, 'मूल्यहीन' नहीं।