valuable

Valuable is an adjective describing something that has considerable worth, whether in monetary, material, or practical terms. It can refer to objects with high market value, such as precious metals, artwork, or collectibles, or to abstract things whose presence increases usefulness or importance, such as information or skills. In everyday language, something valuable may be expensive, rare, or beneficial in some way. The word originates from the Old French valuable, itself from value, which comes from Latin valere meaning to be strong or to be worth. In addition to monetary worth, valuable can convey emotional significance, as in a family heirloom that is valuable to a person even if its price is modest.

Common usages include valuable asset, valuable information, valuable time, and valuable resource. In insurance and appraisal contexts, valuables refer to property considered to be of high worth and often requiring special handling or coverage. In law and finance, value is a broader concept than price, encompassing intrinsic usefulness, scarcity, demand, and context; value can be intrinsic (intrinsic value) or perceived (exchange value). Antonyms include worthless or valueless.

Cultural and temporal factors influence what is deemed valuable. Items or ideas valued in one society or era may be of little value in another, and intangible assets such as knowledge, health, or relationships can be highly valuable even when they do not have a clear monetary price.