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precioso

precious

adjective preh-SYOH-soh Less Common
Descriptions & Qualities Quality

Also means

beautiful

Usage Note

Precioso has two distinct registers: in formal or literary speech it means 'of great value, precious' (piedras preciosas = precious stones); in everyday colloquial Spanish — especially in Spain — it simply means 'beautiful, gorgeous' (¡qué vestido más precioso!). Context and register distinguish the two. Its antonym in the beauty sense is feo ('ugly').

Examples

"Tiene unos ojos preciosos."

Natural Translation

She has beautiful eyes.

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