hidden gem

noun

Something possessing a value or beauty that is not immediately apparent, and which therefore has received far less recognition than it deserves.

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Meanings

nounhidden gem (plural hidden gems)

plural hidden gems

  1. figurativelySomething possessing a value or beauty that is not immediately apparent, and which therefore has received far less recognition than it deserves.

    Ordinary readers would have passed it by unnoticed, but his keen eye saw the hidden gem, and he quickly seized it, and held it up to his delighted hearers.

    1902, John Taylor, Reminiscences of Isaac Marsden of Doncaster, C. H. Kelly, page 107
    1 more example

    Tucked away in a corner of Les Halles, L'Autobus Impérial is a hidden gem. The rather unattractive entrance does little justice to the superb art nouveau dining room, built in 1910 and boasting a listed glass ceiling.

    2012, Time Out Paris, Time Out Guides Ltd, →ISBN, page 187

Translations

Catalan joia amagada
  • joia amagadasomething of value or beauty not immediately apparent
French joyau caché
  • joyau cachésomething of value or beauty not immediately apparent
German Geheimtipp
  • Geheimtippsomething of value or beauty not immediately apparent
Indonesian permata tersembunyi
  • permata tersembunyisomething of value or beauty not immediately apparent
Portuguese joia escondida
  • joia escondidasomething of value or beauty not immediately apparent
Russian скрытое сокровище
  • скрытое сокровище (skrytoje sokrovišče)something of value or beauty not immediately apparent
Spanish gema escondida, gema oculta
  • gema escondidasomething of value or beauty not immediately apparent
  • gema ocultasomething of value or beauty not immediately apparent
Swedish dold pärla
  • dold pärlasomething of value or beauty not immediately apparent
Tagalog tagong hiyas
  • tagong hiyassomething of value or beauty not immediately apparent
Turkish gizli hazine, gizli cevher
  • gizli hazinesomething of value or beauty not immediately apparent
  • gizli cevhersomething of value or beauty not immediately apparent
Cite this entry
APA

hidden gem. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hidden%20gem

MLA

“hidden gem.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hidden%20gem. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “hidden gem,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hidden%20gem.

Source: hidden gem on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.