precious

B1 · Intermediate

adj. very important to you because you love it or it has special memories.

adj. highly esteemed or cherished for emotional or sentimental reasons.

“She kept the precious old photos in a box under her bed.”

“To the elderly couple, their garden was more precious than any material possession they had acquired over the decades.”

C1 · Advanced Formal

adj. behaving in a way that is too delicate or fancy to be natural.

adj. excessively delicate, refined, or fastidious in a way that appears artificial or annoying.

“The critic found the author's writing style a bit too precious and difficult to read.”

“The director's precious approach to the source material alienated audiences who preferred a more grounded and realistic interpretation.”

B2 · Upper Intermediate Informal

adj. being too careful or protective about something you think is special.

adj. excessively protective or sensitive about one's work, ideas, or possessions.

“He is very precious about his car and won't let anyone else drive it.”

“The lead designer was notoriously precious about her initial sketches, often refusing to accept even the most constructive feedback from her peers.”

B2 · Upper Intermediate Countable noun Informal

n. a name you call someone you love very much.

n. a term of endearment used for a person who is loved or cherished.

“Come here, my precious, and let me see how much you have grown.”

“The letter began with a simple address to his 'precious', a term he had used exclusively for his wife since their youth.”

C1 · Advanced Informal

adv. used to mean 'very', often when you are complaining that there is not enough of something.

adv. used as an intensifier, particularly in the phrase 'precious little' or 'precious few' to emphasize scarcity.

“We have precious little time left to finish this project before the deadline.”

“Despite the grand promises made during the campaign, there has been precious little progress on the promised infrastructure reforms.”