précieuse

noun

Someone (especially a woman) who affects refinement and delicacy; a fastidious or pretentious woman.

OriginFrench précieuse →
First used 17th c.
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Meanings

nounprécieuse (plural précieuses)

plural précieuses

  1. derogatorySomeone (especially a woman) who affects refinement and delicacy; a fastidious or pretentious woman.First known use 17th c.

    I like Marion Moore in a certain way. […] But she is too much of a precieuse for my adulation.

    1920, Hart Crane, letter, 14 April

Origin

  1. Frenchprécieuse
  2. Frenchprécieuse
  3. Englishprécieuse

Borrowed from French précieuse.

More words from French

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

précieuse. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pr%C3%A9cieuse

MLA

“précieuse.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pr%C3%A9cieuse. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “précieuse,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pr%C3%A9cieuse.

Source: précieuse on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.