Meanings
plural preciousnesses
- uncountableusuallyThe state or condition of being precious.
By way of love's express / Sending this message out to you / With time and preciousness / Hopin', prayin', oh, it's got to get through
1977, Ashford & Simpson, “By Way of Love's Express”, in Send It1 more example
In a fascinating growth, when the preciousness of the new fades with no one noticing, the room had changed, evolving into something else.
2006, Alexis Wright, Carpentaria, Constable (2009), page 197
Synonyms & antonyms
nounthe quality possessed by something with a great price or value
nounthe positive quality of being precious and beyond value
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Middle Englishpreciousnesse
- Englishpreciousness
From Middle English preciousnesse; equivalent to precious + -ness.
More words from Middle English
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Afrikaans kosbaarheid
- kosbaarheidthe condition of being precious
Dutch kostbaarheid
- kostbaarheidthe condition of being precious
French préciosité, mignardise
- préciositéthe condition of being precious
- mignardisethe condition of being precious
German Kostbarkeit
- Kostbarkeitthe condition of being precious
Irish luachmhaireacht
- luachmhaireachtthe condition of being precious
Italian preziosità
- preziositàthe condition of being precious
Spanish preciosidad, preciosura
- preciosidadthe condition of being precious
- preciosurathe condition of being precious
Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
preciousness. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/preciousness
“preciousness.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/preciousness. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “preciousness,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/preciousness.
Source: preciousness on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.