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Precious vs Generous - What's the difference?

precious | generous | Related terms |

As adjectives the difference between precious and generous

is that precious is of high value or worth, or seemingly regarded as such while generous is of noble birth.

As a noun precious

is someone (or something) who is loved; a darling.

As an adverb precious

is Used as an intensifier.

As a proper noun Precious

is {{surname|from=nicknames|lang=en}}, originating as a male or female nickname.

precious

English

Alternative forms

* pretious (obsolete)

Adjective

(en adjective)
  • Of high value or worth, or seemingly regarded as such.
  • * {{quote-magazine, date=2013-08-16, author=(Polly Toynbee)
  • , volume=189, issue=10, page=21, magazine=(The Guardian Weekly) , title= Britain's booming birthrate , passage=People are a good thing, the most precious resource in a rich economy, so the progressive-minded feel. Only misanthropists disagree or the dottier Malthusians who send green-ink tweets deploring any state assistance for child-rearing.}}
  • Regarded with love or tenderness.
  • (pejorative) Treated with too much reverence.
  • (pejorative) Contrived to be cute or charming.
  • * {{quote-news, year=2012, date=May 24, author=Nathan Rabin, work=The Onion AV Club
  • , title= Film: Reviews: Men In Black 3 , passage=In the abstract, Stuhlbarg’s twinkly-eyed sidekick suggests Joe Pesci in Lethal Weapon 2 by way of late-period Robin Williams with an alien twist, but Stuhlbarg makes a character that easily could have come across as precious into a surprisingly palatable, even charming man.}}

    Synonyms

    * (of high value) dear, valuable * (contrived to charm) saccharine, syrupy, twee

    Noun

    (es)
  • Someone (or something) who is loved; a darling.
  • * J. R. R. Tolkien, The Hobbit
  • “It isn't fair, my precious , is it, to ask us what it's got in its nassty little pocketses?”
  • * 1909 , Mrs. Teignmouth Shore, The Pride of the Graftons (page 57)
  • She sat down with the dogs in her lap. "I won't neglect you for any one, will I, my preciouses ?"

    Adverb

    (-)
  • There is precious little we can do.

    generous

    English

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • (obsolete) Of noble birth.
  • Noble in behaviour or actions; principled, not petty; kind, magnanimous.
  • Thank you for your generous words.
  • Willing to give and share unsparingly; showing a readiness to give more (especially money) than is expected or needed.
  • She's been extremely generous with her winnings.
  • Large, more than ample, copious.
  • Synonyms

    * See also