val ‧ u ‧ a ‧ ble W3 /ˈvæljuəb ə l, -jəb ə l $ ˈvæljəb ə l/ BrE AmE adjective
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ valuables , ↑ value , values, ↑ valuation , ↑ valuer , ↑ overvaluation ≠ UNDERVALUATION , ↑ devaluation ; adjective : ↑ valuable , ↑ invaluable , overvalued ≠ UNDERVALUED , ↑ valueless , ↑ valued ; verb : ↑ value , ↑ devalue , ↑ overvalue ≠ ↑ undervalue ]
1 . worth a lot of money OPP worthless :
a valuable painting
Their most valuable belongings were locked in a safe in the bedroom.
⇨ see Thesaurus box on P.1942
2 . valuable help, advice, information etc is very useful because it helps you to do something:
Muriel has made a valuable contribution to our company’s success.
a job that gave him valuable experience
3 . important because there is only a limited amount available SYN precious :
I won’t waste any more of your valuable time.
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COLLOCATIONS (for Meaning 2)
■ nouns
▪ help
There can be no doubt that this sort of help is valuable for teachers.
▪ advice
The booklet contains valuable advice for new mothers.
▪ information
The police were contacted by a number of people who had valuable information about the bombings.
▪ experience
The experience you can gain in a small advertising agency will be very valuable.
▪ contribution
He made a valuable contribution to our work.
▪ asset
If you have a good network of contacts, you have a valuable asset.
▪ source
Fish are a valuable source of protein.
▪ tool
Exercise is a valuable tool in treating depression.
■ verbs
▪ prove valuable (=be valuable for someone)
This advice was to prove valuable.
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THESAURUS
■ worth a lot of money
▪ valuable worth a lot of money and expensive to buy:
a valuable piece of jewellery
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The carpet is extremely valuable.
▪ priceless so valuable that it is impossible to calculate a price:
a priceless painting by Rembrandt
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The statue is priceless.
▪ precious metal/stone precious metals such as gold, or stones such as diamonds are very rare and expensive :
Back in ancient times, coins contained precious metals.
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The ring was set with dozens of precious stones.
▪ worth a lot/a fortune informal to be worth a very large amount of money:
Some rare baseball cards are worth a fortune.
■ very special and important
▪ precious very special and important to someone - used about people or things:
My family have always been precious to me.
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His free time was very precious to him.
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the place where I kept my most precious things
▪ prized very special and important to someone, so that they want very much to keep them or obtain them:
The book was one of his most prized possessions.
|
The shells are prized for their beauty (=are considered to be very special) .
▪ treasured very special and important to someone, especially because it is connected with someone they love:
the case in which she kept her most treasured possessions
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The holiday was now a treasured memory.
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a treasured gift from her grandmother
▪ irreplaceable extremely special and important, especially because it is the only one of its kind:
The manuscripts are said to be irreplaceable.