invaluable
adjective
Did you know?
invaluable = valuable?
Many people find it confusing that the in- prefix at the beginning of invaluable apparently lacks the meaning "not" found in a number of other words, such as invalid, inarticulate, and insane. In fact, the prefix does indicate negation, but in a way that is not immediately obvious. The original (and current) meaning of invaluable is "valuable beyond estimation"; the word describes something so precious that one cannot assign a price to it. This, clearly, is the opposite of the meaning "having no value; valueless" that the word might seem to carry. Invaluable actually has been recorded in the sense "without value," but such use has been exceedingly rare and is practically nonexistent today.
Examples of invaluable in a Sentence
Oliver Sacks, New York Review of Books, 25 Sept. 2008
… the scrolls provide an invaluable snapshot of at least one important strain in early Judaism—though they are by no means a complete record of Jewish belief at that time.
—Jeremy Lott, Lingua Franca, February 2001
I stayed there only a month or so but it was an invaluable experience … : that month's residence provided the inspiration for a novel I wrote much later, Sophie's Choice.
—William Styron, This Quiet Dust and Other Writings, (1953) 1982
Their help has been invaluable to us.
the list of likely donors proved to be invaluable to our fund-raising efforts
King Holder, Rolling Stone, 26 Apr. 2024
Cormier brings his wealth of experience to the Alta Academy, providing invaluable training resources for athletes of all levels.
—Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Apr. 2024
This series was an enlightening and inspirational journey through time that recognized and celebrated Black women’s invaluable contributions to the health and wellness fields.
—Dominique Fluker, Essence, 23 Apr. 2024
California has unveiled an ambitious plan to help combat the worsening climate crisis with one of its invaluable assets: its land.
—Hayley Smith, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2024
In the current geopolitical environment, a formal Middle East Air Defense alliance remains a pipe dream, yet would be an invaluable security asset for Israel and the U.S. and would realign the region against Iranian aggression.
—TIME, 22 Apr. 2024
Without meticulous scribes and heartfelt writers, exploring the realms of the past and absorbing invaluable wisdom would be impossible.
—Tyler Shepherd, USA TODAY, 21 Apr. 2024
Breakout guard Keon Ellis, whose defense was invaluable against Stephen Curry on Tuesday, went scoreless while Sacramento was outscored by 20 in his 28 minutes.
—Chris Biderman, Sacramento Bee, 20 Apr. 2024
Tenants unions gained traction in communities nationwide as an accessible way for people to get involved, and speaking up at city council and board of supervisor meetings is invaluable.
—Gabriela Sandoval, The Mercury News, 13 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'invaluable.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Invaluable.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/invaluable. Accessed 2 May. 2024.
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