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
Peter Douglas, The Mercury News, 10 Nov. 2024
Exploiting loopholes While the continent is believed to hold vast deposits of oil, gas, copper and other valuable minerals, mining is effectively banned by treaty amendment until 2048.
—The Week Uk, theweek, 6 Nov. 2024
Michael Harley, Forbes, 29 Oct. 2024
Residents hide their bags in the trunk or don’t take out valuables as much.
—The Editors, National Review, 25 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for 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 22 Nov. 2024.
Copy Citation
Share