Standard Lemma guide

valuable

adj · noun · 6 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ˈvælju(ə)bl̩/
  • /ˈvæljəbl̩/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: V AE1 L Y AH0 B AH0 L Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
  • CMU ARPABET 2: V AE1 L Y UW0 B AH0 L Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Having a great value.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • valuable gemstones

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: worthy

Antonyms: worthless, bastardly, blown, cacky, chaffy, cocking, crapalicious, cruddy, cullionly, draffish, draffy, dreckish, drecky, duffing, floccinaucinihilipilificatious, for the birds, fucking, garbagey, good-for-naught, good-for-nothing, goodless, ineffectual, invaluable, jabberwocky, junky, mouldy, mucid, naughty, no-account, no good / no-good, nonvaluable, not worth a damn, not worth a dime, not worth a plug nickel, not worth a brass farthing, not worth a cent, not worth a cress, not worth a curse, not worth a Continental, not worth a farthing, not worth hell room, not worth a nickel, not worth a penny, not worth salt, not worth a whistle, nought, of no value, pissass, punk, putid, rubbishly, rubbishy, sixpenny, scabbed, screwy, scummy, shand, shit, shitey, shitstained, shitty-ass, sorry-ass, strawlike, suckworthy, tenth-rate, toshy, trinkety, triobolar, tripy, two-bit, unappreciated, unvaluable, vain, valueless, worth nothing, wutless

2

adj

Meaning 2

Estimable; deserving esteem.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • a valuable friend; a valuable companion
  • Truly valuable things have no price and cannot be bought.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: admirable, laudable, allowable, commendable, creditable, estimable, glorious, honorable, praiseworthy, respectable, reverable, reverend, valuable, venerable, worthy

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

A personal possession such as jewellery, of relatively great monetary value.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: plural-normally

Examples

  • One particular valuable is a gemstone mosaic.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

adjective

Meaning 4

having great material or monetary value especially for use or exchange

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • a valuable diamond

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: worthless

5

adjective satellite

Meaning 5

having worth or merit or value

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • a valuable friend
  • a good and worthful man

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: worthful

Antonyms: none provided

6

noun

Meaning 6

something of value

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • all our valuables were stolen

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: treasure, hoarded wealth

Narrower terms: swag, precious metal

History

Etymology

Etymology tree English value Proto-Indo-European *-tḗr Proto-Indo-European *-dhlom Proto-Indo-European *-dhlis Proto-Italic *-ðlis Latin -bilis Latin -ābilis Old French -ablebor. Middle English -able English -able English valuable From value + -able.

Across languages

Translations

93 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: قَيِّم (qayyim) — having a great value
  • Arabic: ثَمِين (ṯamīn) — having a great value
  • Belarusian: кашто́ўны (kaštówny) — having a great value
  • Bulgarian: це́нен (cénen) — having a great value
  • Catalan: valuós — having a great value
  • Chinese Mandarin: 寶貴 /宝贵 (bǎoguì) — having a great value
  • Chinese Mandarin: 貴重 /贵重 (guìzhòng) — having a great value
  • Chinese Mandarin: 有價值 /有价值 (yǒujiàzhí) — having a great value
  • Czech: hodnotný — having a great value
  • Danish: værdifuld — having a great value
  • Dutch: waardevol — having a great value
  • Finnish: arvokas — having a great value
  • French: précieux — having a great value
  • Georgian: ძვირფასი (ʒvirpasi) — having a great value
  • Georgian: ფასეული (paseuli) — having a great value
  • Georgian: ღირებული (ɣirebuli) — having a great value
  • German: wertvoll — having a great value
  • Gothic: 𐌲𐌰𐌻𐌰𐌿𐍆𐍃 (galaufs) — having a great value
  • Greek: πολύτιμος (polýtimos) — having a great value
  • Hindi: क़ीमती (qīmtī) — having a great value
  • Hungarian: értékes — having a great value
  • Icelandic: verðmætur — having a great value
  • Icelandic: verðmikill — having a great value
  • Irish: mórluachach — having a great value
  • Irish: luachmhar — having a great value
  • Italian: prezioso — having a great value
  • Japanese: 貴重な (kichō na) — having a great value
  • Korean: 값비싼 (gapbissan) — having a great value
  • Korean: 귀중한 (gwijunghan) — having a great value
  • Korean: 귀중하다 (gwijunghada) — having a great value
  • Central Kurdish: بەنرخ (benrix) — having a great value
  • Kyrgyz: баалуу (baaluu) — having a great value
  • Latin: pretiōsus — having a great value
  • Lithuanian: vertingas — having a great value
  • Malayalam: വിലപ്പെട്ട (vilappeṭṭa) — having a great value
  • Malayalam: വിലയേറിയ (vilayēṟiya) — having a great value
  • Māori: marihi — having a great value
  • Māori: ohooho — having a great value
  • Norman: vaillabl'ye — having a great value
  • Persian: قیمتی (qeymati) — having a great value
  • Persian: ارزشمند (arzešmand) — having a great value
  • Polish: wartościowy — having a great value
  • Polish: drogocenny — having a great value
  • Portuguese: valioso — having a great value
  • Portuguese: valorável — having a great value
  • Romanian: valoros — having a great value
  • Romanian: prețios — having a great value
  • Russian: це́нный (cénnyj) — having a great value
  • Scottish Gaelic: prìseil — having a great value
  • Scottish Gaelic: luachmhor — having a great value
  • Scottish Gaelic: fiach — having a great value
  • Serbo-Croatian: вре́дан — having a great value
  • Serbo-Croatian: драго̀цјен — having a great value
  • Serbo-Croatian: vrijédan — having a great value
  • Serbo-Croatian: dragòcjen — having a great value
  • Slovak: cenný — having a great value
  • Slovene: vredno — having a great value
  • Slovene: vreden — having a great value
  • Lower Sorbian: drogi — having a great value
  • Spanish: valioso — having a great value
  • Swedish: värdefull — having a great value
  • Tajik: пурбаҳо (purbaho) — having a great value
  • Telugu: విలువైన (viluvaina) — having a great value
  • Thai: มีราคา — having a great value
  • Thai: มีค่า (mii-kâa) — having a great value
  • Turkish: değerli — having a great value
  • Ottoman Turkish: عزیز (ʼazîz) — having a great value
  • Ukrainian: ці́нний (cínnyj) — having a great value
  • Urdu: قیمتی (qīmtī) — having a great value
  • Vietnamese: quý giá — having a great value
  • Vietnamese: quý báu — having a great value
  • Welsh: gwerthfawr — having a great value
  • Bulgarian: ценности (cennosti) — personal possession of relatively great monetary value
  • Finnish: arvotavara — personal possession of relatively great monetary value
  • French: valeur — personal possession of relatively great monetary value
  • Georgian: ძვირფასეულობა (ʒvirpaseuloba) — personal possession of relatively great monetary value
  • Georgian: ძვირფასეული (ʒvirpaseuli) — personal possession of relatively great monetary value
  • German: Wertgegenstand — personal possession of relatively great monetary value
  • German: Wertsache — personal possession of relatively great monetary value
  • Greek: τιμαλφές (timalfés) — personal possession of relatively great monetary value
  • Hungarian: értéktárgy — personal possession of relatively great monetary value
  • Hungarian: értékek — personal possession of relatively great monetary value
  • Korean: 귀중품 (gwijungpum) — personal possession of relatively great monetary value
  • Polish: drogocenności — personal possession of relatively great monetary value
  • Polish: kosztowności — personal possession of relatively great monetary value
  • Polish: precjoza — personal possession of relatively great monetary value
  • Serbo-Croatian: драго̀цјено̄ст — personal possession of relatively great monetary value
  • Serbo-Croatian: dragòcjenōst — personal possession of relatively great monetary value
  • Slovene: dragocenost — personal possession of relatively great monetary value
  • Swedish: värdesak — personal possession of relatively great monetary value
  • Swedish: värdeföremål — personal possession of relatively great monetary value
  • Ukrainian: коштовність (koštovnistʹ) — personal possession of relatively great monetary value
  • Ukrainian: дорогоцінність (dorohocinnistʹ) — personal possession of relatively great monetary value
Real reading context

valuable in complete knowledge articles