preciosity
preciosity · preciosities
The quality of being overly refined in an affected wayThe quality of being overly refined in an affected way (often used to describe speech or writing, but also visual art and dress).
UK/ˌpɹɛʃiˈɒsəti/US/ˌpɹɛʃiˈɑsəti/
Meaning
4 senses(derogatory, uncountable, usually)The quality of being overly refined in an affected way (often used to describe speech or writing, but also visual art and dress).
(countable, derogatory, usually)An instance of preciosity; something that is overly refined in an affected way.
(obsolete, uncountable)The quality of being precious (of high value or worth).
(countable, obsolete)Something of high value or worth.
More definitions
- the quality of being fastidious or excessively refined
Origin
From Middle English preciosite, from Middle French preciosité, from Latin pretiōsitās (“grFrom Middle English preciosite, from Middle French preciosité, from Latin pretiōsitās (“great value; high price”).
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Forms
plural: preciosities| Singular | preciosity |
|---|---|
| Plural | preciosities |
regular
Synonyms
6 synonymsClose in meaning
- the quality of being fastidious or excessively refined:preciousness
Word family
1 related wordsRelatedpreciousB1
Lessons for this word
1 lessons- A1Countable and uncountable nouns — Because it can be uncountable