Definition

Noun 1. The quality of being fastidious or excessively refined: The state of being overly concerned with minute details or elegance, often to an affected or artificial degree. 2. The positive quality of being precious and beyond value: The inherent quality of being cherished, loved, or held in very high esteem, often implying emotional or sentimental worth. 3. The quality possessed by something with a great price or value: The characteristic of having high monetary worth or material cost.

Usage Examples

• Noun (Fastidious/Refined):
  • The preciousness of his manners made him seem insincere.
  • She criticized the novel's style for its excessive preciousness.
• Noun (Cherished/Beyond Value):
  • The preciousness of their friendship was evident in how they supported each other.
  • He spoke of the preciousness of childhood memories.
• Noun (High Monetary Value):
  • The preciousness of the gemstones was confirmed by the expert appraisal.
  • The auction highlighted the preciousness of the antique collection.

Advanced Usage

• "with an air of preciousness": behaving or presented in a manner that is overly delicate or affected.
  • The poet read his work with an air of preciousness that some found off-putting.
• "the sheer preciousness of": used to emphasize the extreme value or cherished nature of something.
  • We must protect the sheer preciousness of this natural habitat.

Variants and Related Words

• Precious (adj): 1. Of great value; not to be wasted or treated carelessly. 2. Affectedly concerned with elegant or refined behavior, language, or tastes.
  • Clean water is a precious resource.
  • He has a precious way of speaking that annoys his colleagues.
• Precieuse (n, historical): A woman who is affectedly refined in her manners, tastes, or literary style (from the French ).

Synonyms

• Affectation: Artificial behavior adopted to impress others.
• Cherishedness: The state of being dearly loved or valued.
• Costliness: The quality of being expensive or of high price.
• Pricelessness: The quality of being so valuable that a price cannot be determined.

Antonyms

• Worthlessness: The quality of having no value, use, or importance.
• Vulgarity: The state of lacking sophistication or good taste.
• Commonness: The quality of being ordinary or frequently encountered.

Noun

1. the quality of being fastidious or excessively refined
2. the positive quality of being precious and beyond value
3. the quality possessed by something with a great price or value