Preciosity

Word PRECIOSITY
Character 10
Hyphenation pre ci os i ty
Pronunciations /ˌpɹɛʃiˈɒsəti/

Definitions and meanings of "Preciosity"

What do we mean by preciosity?

Overrefinement, as in language, taste, or style. noun

An instance of overrefinement. noun

The character of being precious in sense 6 or 7. See precious, 6. noun

Costliness; value; great worth; preciousness. noun

Anything of great price or value. noun

The quality of being overnice; fastidiousness; excessive refinement. noun

Preciousness; something precious. noun

Fastidious refinement, esp. in language; specif., the affected purism and sententiousness characteristic of the French précieuses of the 17th century. noun

A state or condition of overemphasizing detail, especially of pronunciation when speaking. noun

Something precious. noun

The quality of being fastidious or excessively refined noun

(usually derogatory) The quality of being overly refined in an affected way (often used to describe speech or writing, but also visual art and dress).

(usually derogatory) An instance of preciosity; something that is overly refined in an affected way.

The quality of being precious (of high value or worth).

Something of high value or worth.

Synonyms and Antonyms for Preciosity

  • Antonyms for preciosity
  • Preciosity antonyms not found!

The word "preciosity" in example sentences

It is in the salon that the over-refinement called preciosity budded and bloomed. ❋ 1840-1916 (1913)

Paglia (correctly) emphasizes the way in which English is constantly changing -- which makes it an ever-renewable source of new kinds of writing -- but she ought to consider this when elevating the Romantic poets '"living speech" over "dense allusiveness and preciosity." ❋ Unknown (2010)

A tiny pale print of a horse and coach in the rain 1899-1900 epitomizes the preciosity of his photo-secession phase. ❋ Richard B. Woodward (2011)

Although he is increasingly reviled these days for his purported stylistic preciosity, John Updike remains a writer I am able to read with pleasure because he successfully avoids inflicting such damage. ❋ Unknown (2009)

Any poetry removed from popular diction will inevitably become as esoteric as 18th-century satire (perfected by Alexander Pope), whose dense allusiveness and preciosity drove the early Romantic poets into the countryside to find living speech again. ❋ Unknown (2010)

But any preciosity is overruled by the film's emotional intelligence, as when George inhales the smell of a stranger's Jack Russell that evokes the dogs he owned with his lover. ❋ Unknown (2009)

Huxley and Fisher were great naturalists and understandably allergic to preciosity. ❋ TIM DEE (2009)

We shouldn't be making up ways to accommodate their religious preciosity. ❋ Unknown (2008)

For all the preciosity of its product, the perfume industry generates annual revenues of $31 billion; 170,000 bottles of perfume are sold every day in France -- and 170,000 Frenchmen can't be wrong. ❋ Unknown (2008)

It is hard to avoid preciosity in books about books, but here Funke pulls off the feat with vigor .... ❋ Unknown (2003)

It is difficult to write about love and hope without falling into the pit of preciosity. ❋ Dean Francis Alfar (2003)

And it was perhaps yielding to his literary preciosity rather than to an overflow of pride that this specialist in artistic entertainments said to Mme. Verdurin: ❋ Unknown (2003)

There we ran into one of the biggest obstacles, because a tendency toward preciosity, excessive selectivity, developed. ❋ Unknown (1993)

Our excellent system, which has such a solid moral foundation, would fail because we had not understood that indulging in preciosity and choosing one by one and voting only for the ones we know would mean taking votes away from those comrades, refusing our votes to those wonderful comrades. ❋ Unknown (1993)

It was quiet and simple, an escape from the pomp and preciosity of the K mansion. ❋ Braun, Lilian Jackson (1988)

I find it symptomatic that Mr. Nabokov, with professorial preciosity, is haggling over Mr. Wilson's knowledge of Russian (which is impressive) and trying to deflect attention from his own knowledge of English (which, alas, is not good enough). ❋ Reeve, F.D. (1965)

Consciously, no one can achieve the act of love on earth as a completed thing of grace, with whatever delirium of delight, with whatever ingenious preciosity, we go through its process. ❋ 446? BC-385? BC Aristophanes (N/A)

Cross Reference for Preciosity

  • Preciosity cross reference not found!

What does preciosity mean?

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