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.
Synonyms
Examples of valuable in a Sentence
Jon Stojan, USA TODAY, 8 Apr. 2024
Sales of these drugs have transformed Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk into the most valuable pharmaceutical companies in the world.
—Bruce Gil, Quartz, 8 Apr. 2024
And the most valuable comic book had previously been a copy of Superman No. 1 that was sold privately for $5.3 million in 2022.
—Tori Latham, Robb Report, 5 Apr. 2024
Researchers believe the concept will become more valuable in the next decade, as electronic devices migrate closer and closer to human skin.
—IEEE Spectrum, 5 Apr. 2024
Online courses, workshops and industry conferences offer valuable opportunities to deepen your technological fluency and stay abreast of emerging trends.
—Sonia Singh, Rolling Stone, 4 Apr. 2024
Customer reviews can also provide valuable insights into a product's safety and efficacy.
—Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 3 Apr. 2024
Manufactured by Adidas, Los Blancos' shirt is often touted as the most valuable in football when all its sponsorship deals are taken into account.
—Tom Sanderson, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
Cocoa prices are going nuts: The bean is now more valuable than several precious metals and has surged faster than even bitcoin.
—Alina Selyukh, NPR, 29 Mar. 2024
Elaine Woo, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2024
Although not a cash heist, nearly two years ago, as much as $100 million in jewels and other valuables were stolen from a Brink’s big rig at a Southern California truck stop.
—Sean Murphy, Fortune, 5 Apr. 2024
The heist comes less than two years after one of the largest jewel thefts in the country’s history, when a Brinks truck in Southern California was robbed of as much as $100 million in jewels and other valuables – in a mere 27 minutes.
—Emily Palmer, Peoplemag, 4 Apr. 2024
In that incident, the victim was accosted by two men who demanded valuables.
—Jakob Rodgers, The Mercury News, 28 Mar. 2024
The daypack is well constructed with a hidden back pocket, a secure place to store valuables, and the vertical zipper pocket at the front allows for easy retrieval of items without having to take off your backpack.
—Karthika Gupta, Travel + Leisure, 21 Mar. 2024
It’s located in a free port (a real thing where rich people can secure their valuables without paying taxes on them) at the Oslo airport.
—Nate Jones, Vulture, 26 Feb. 2024
Protect your valuables in the hotel safe and wear a money belt when traveling to keep credit cards and personal items close.
—Melissa Kravitz Hoeffner, Forbes, 14 Feb. 2024
Other steps include neighborhood communication and vigilance, making an inventory of valuables and securing them, and registering bikes.
—Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'valuable.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Phrases Containing valuable
Articles Related to valuable
Dictionary Entries Near valuable
Cite this Entry
“Valuable.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/valuable. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
valuable
1 of 2 adjectivevaluable
2 of 2 noun
More from Merriam-Webster on valuable
Nglish: Translation of valuable for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of valuable for Arabic Speakers
Share