adjective
precious
Overly delicate or refined in an artificial way.
The reviewer finds the dialogue too precious.
Etymology
Precious originally means valuable or costly. The critical sense treats excessive refinement as an affected insistence on being unusually delicate or special.
More examples
- His precious manner made a simple point sound affected.
- She disliked the novel's precious style.
- The design seemed precious rather than useful.
Forms
precious
Similar words
- affected
- Artificially cultivated in manner or style.
- mannered
- Marked by deliberate, sometimes excessive stylistic habits.