priceless

comparative more priceless · superlative most priceless

1. literallynot comparablerareWithout a price assigned; unpriced.
2. broadlyliterallynot comparableSo precious as not to be obtainable or sold at any price.First known use 1590s

   Tutor of Athens! he, in every Street, / Dealt priceleſs Treaſure: Goodneſs his Delight, / VViſdom his VVealth, and Glory his Revvard.

   1735, [James] Thomson, Greece: Being the Second Part of Liberty, a Poem, London: […] A[ndrew] Millar, […], →OCLC, page 25, lines 231–233

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   For he the night before in Tarquins Tent, / Vnlockt the treaſure of his happie ſtate: / VVhat priſeleſſe vvealth the heauens had him lent, / In the poſſeſſion of his beauteous mate.

   1594, William Shakespeare, Lucrece (First Quarto), London: […] Richard Field, for Iohn Harrison, […], →OCLC, signature B, verso

   Shall giue Theodoret to vnderſtand, / His ignorance of the prizeleſſe Ievvell, vvhich / He did poſſeſſe in you, mother in you, […]

   c. 1607–1621 (date written), [Francis Beaumont; John Fletcher; Philip Massinger], The Tragedy of Thierry King of France, and His Brother Theodoret. […], London: […] [Nicholas Okes] for Thomas Walkley, […], published 1621, →OCLC, Act II, scene i, signatures C2, recto – C2, verso

   Mario told me of a hotel in which he had been, where a chambermaid stole a priceless diamond ring from an American lady. […] The chambermaid had a lover in the bakery, and he had baked the ring into a roll, where it lay unsuspected until the search was over.

   1933 January 9, George Orwell [pseudonym; Eric Arthur Blair], chapter XV, in Down and Out in Paris and London, London: Victor Gollancz […], →OCLC, page 112

   DeepMind, the British company discussed in chapter 2, was sold to Google for £400 million in 2014 without even a golden share for government. It is now priceless, almost certainly not for sale at any price.

   2020, Nick Timothy, chapter 5, in Remaking One Nation: The Future of Conservatism, Cambridge: Polity Press, →ISBN, page 120

   This trend reached its logical end in an op-ed by Paul Krugman, who flatly debunked the truism that human life was "priceless". The statistical cost of life was calculated all the time in transportation and environmental policy, he said: it was roughly $10 million.

   Paul Krugman (28 May 2020), “On the economics of not dying: What good is increasing G.D.P. if it kills you?”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 20 Apr 2023

   Synonyms: invaluable, inestimable · Antonyms: valueless, worthless, nonvaluable

3. archaicbroadlyliterallynot comparableOf no value; valueless; worthless.

   [H]e thought of his late friendship with anger and held it cheap, a priceless imitation for which perhaps he had given a pure jewel in stupid exchange.

   1905 September, Mrs. John Van Vorst [i.e. Bessie Van Vorst], Marie Van Vorst, “Mrs. Evremond”, in Ainslee’s: The Magazine that Entertains, volume XVI, number 2, New York, N.Y.: Ainslee Magazine Co., →OCLC, page 78, column 2

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   VVhen ſome ſhall ſay, Faire once my Silvia vvas; / Thou vvilt complaine, Falſe novv's thy Looking-glaſſe: / VVhich renders that quite tarniſht vvᶜʰ vvas green, / And Priceleſs novv, vvhat Peerleſs once had been: / Upon thy Forme more vvrinkles yet vvill fall, / And comming dovvne, ſhall make no noise at all.

   1648, Robert Herrick, “Upon Silvia. A Mistresse.”, in Hesperides: Or, The Works both Humane & Divine […], London: […] John Williams, and Francis Eglesfield, and are to be sold by Tho[mas] Hunt, […], →OCLC, page 20

   Synonyms: good-for-nothing, no good, two-bit, bastardly, blown, cacky, chaffy, cocking

4. comparablefigurativelyHeld in high regard; treasured.

   I do not hope that any love and duty I may render in return, will ever make me worthy of your priceless confidence; […]

   1849 May – 1850 November, Charles Dickens, “Mr. Dick Fulfils My Aunt’s Prediction”, in The Personal History of David Copperfield, London: Bradbury & Evans, […], published 1850, →OCLC, page 470

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   If we part I shall be tormented by remorse at not having married. If we marry I shall spend my life mentally kicking myself for having so carelessly given up priceless liberty.

   1950 June 18, Philip Larkin, “To J. B. Sutton – 18 June 1950”, in Anthony Thwaite, editor, Selected Letters of Philip Larkin, 1940–1985, New York, N.Y.: Farrar Straus Giroux, published 1993, →ISBN, page 165

   Alan Pardew's current squad has been put together with a relatively low budget but the resolve and unity within the team is priceless.

   2011 October 1, Saj Chowdhury, “Wolverhampton 1 – 2 Newcastle”, in BBC Sport, archived from the original on 20 Nov 2022

   Synonyms: esteemed, sacred, valued, admired, applauded, blessed, distinguished, eminent

5. comparablefigurativelyinformalAbsurd; ridiculous.

   “You son of a bitch,” she exploded. “You talk. You, of all people. You. That’s priceless.”

   1946, Kenneth Fearing, “Earl Janoth II”, in The Big Clock, New York: Harcourt, Brace and Company, →OCLC, page 65

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   Where the concrete approach of the realistic nationalists eventually led them is illustrated by the priceless story of how Charles Maurras had “the honor and pleasure,” after the defeat of France, of falling in during his flight to the south with a female astrologer who interpreted to him the political meaning of recent events and advised him to collaborate with the Nazis.

   1951, Hannah Arendt, “The Dreyfus Affair”, in The Origins of Totalitarianism (A Harvest/HBJ Book), new edition, San Diego, Calif.; New York, N.Y.: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, published 1973, →ISBN, part 1 (Antisemitism), page 110

   “Duty, har, har,” Simon laughed, as if some laughing machine had been wound up inside him. “Laura would love that. Jesus, that’s priceless; he’s good on propaganda. Duty! God, Laura will love that when she comes.”

   1962, Edna O’Brien, chapter 17, in The Lonely Girl, New York, N.Y.: Plume, Penguin Group, published December 2002, →ISBN, page 155

   Synonyms: farcical, laughable, rich, absurd, Laputan, cockamamie, cockeyed, farcical

6. comparablefigurativelyinformalVery amusing; hilarious.First known use 1907

   Hell, those jacks was laughing and laughing like to wet themselves. Even Ernst had a smile on his face, shaking his head like he ain’t believed what he just seen. ‘Aw, Sid,’ Chip gasped. ‘Holy hell, Sid, you priceless.’

   2011, Esi Edugyan, “Berlin 1939”, in Half Blood Blues, London: Serpent’s Tail, →ISBN, page 142

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   Paul laughed heartily and said she was priceless, but Hannah remained so contritely straight-faced that his laughter sounded to himself as if it had just a trace of incipient madness in it, and he suddenly sobered, blinking rapidly.

   1936, Lloyd C[assell] Douglas, chapter I, in White Banners, Boston, Mass.; New York, N.Y.: Houghton Mifflin Company […], →OCLC, page 18

   Synonyms: gut-busting, hysterical, uproarious, amusing, chucklesome, comedic, comic, comical

7. comparablefigurativelyinformalironicoftenExcellent; fantastic; wonderful.

   “And have you had a lovely evening?” / “Oh, priceless,” I said.

   1926 October, Ernest Hemingway, chapter 3, in The Sun Also Rises, New York, N.Y.: Charles Scribner’s Sons, published 1954, →OCLC, book I, page 22

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   Hey! Wait! I got a new complaint / Forever in debt to your priceless advice

   1993 August 30, Kurt Cobain, “Heart-Shaped Box”, in In Utero, performed by Nirvana

   Synonyms: marvelous, spectacular, top-notch, ace, admirable, amazing, awe-inspiring, awesome