preciousness
/'preʃəsnis/
Học thuậtThân thiện
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
- the quality of being fastidious or excessively refined
- the positive quality of being precious and beyond value
- the quality possessed by something with a great price or value