The Meaning of Invaluable: What It Is and How To Use It

Do you know the definition of invaluable? This article will provide you with all of the information you need on the word invaluable, including its definition, etymology, usage, example sentences, and more!

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What does the word invaluable mean?

According to the Merriam-Webster unabridged dictionary of the English language and other sources like American Heritage and Collins English Dictionary, the word invaluable is an adjective that means valuable beyond estimation or priceless. This thing may not have appraisable value, or can have inestimable worth. Many things can be invaluable, including invaluable information, an invaluable resource, an invaluable asset, invaluable assistance, an invaluable art collection, an invaluable experience, invaluable insight, and invaluable source of information, and more. This can be confusing since we normally think of the prefix in as forming a negation in English usage. Therefore, one may think that invaluable means the opposite of valuable. However, this is not the case. Invaluable has four syllables – in-valu-able, and the pronunciation of invaluable is in-ˈval-yə-bəl. Try using the word invaluable today!

Many different languages have translations of invaluable (adj.). You may notice that some of these words look and sound similar to one another. These are called cognates, which are formed when two words have the same root or language of origin. These can be helpful to know if you are trying to learn more than one language. This list of translations for the word invaluable is provided by Word Sense.

  •  Russian: бесце́нный‎, неоцени́мый‎
  •  Japanese: プライスレス‎ (puraisuresu)
  •  Telugu: వెలలేని‎ (velalEni)
  •  Dutch: van onschatbare waarde‎
  •  Maori: kāmehameha‎
  •  Spanish: inestimable‎
  •  Turkish: paha biçilemez‎
  •  Catalan: no tenir preu‎
  •  Swedish: obetalbar‎, oskattbar‎, ovärderlig‎
  •  German: preislos‎, unbezahlbar‎
  •  Hungarian: felbecsülhetetlen‎
  •  Polish: bezcenny‎ (masc.)
  •  Mandarin: 無價‎, 无价‎ (wújià)
  •  Portuguese: inestimável‎
  •  Norwegian: uvurderlig‎
  •  French: inestimable‎
  •  Greek: ανεκτίμητος‎
  •  Manx: ard-leagharagh‎

How can the word invaluable be used in a sentence?

The word invaluable can be used in many different ways in the English language. Using words in a sentence is a great way to memorize their definition. You can also make flashcards or quizzes for yourself to test your knowledge and English vocabulary. Try using this word of the day in a sentence today! Below are several examples of invaluable to get you started.

The internet is an invaluable source of valuable information. The San Francisco Chronicle would never have been able to aid the police in pursuing the assailant if it were not for the broad area of resources the internet provided.

The woman’s friends who were lawyers at Random House and Harpercollins Publishers were an invaluable resource during her copyright case.

The American English tutor at Princeton University proved invaluable for the international student. In Hindi, his writing was amazing, but he needed serious assistance with his essays, citation and bibliography when written in English.

The woman in quarantine found Facebook invaluable. She missed her friends so much when she was in the hospital, and she loved being able to connect with them over social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. 

What is the origin of the word invaluable?

According to Etymonline, the word invaluable has been used since the 1570s Middle English to mean too valuable for an exact estimate. This word was also used in the 1630s to mean without value or worthless. This comes from the word value, from the Old French Value, a 13c word. This noun uses the feminine past participle of valour, a French verb meaning to be worth, from the Latin valere meaning to be strong or worthy. One can add the suffix ly or bly instead of ble to make the related word invaluably (adv.), the adverb form of invaluable. 

What are synonyms and antonyms for the word invaluable?

There are many different words that a person can use in place of the term invaluable. The word invaluable can be confusing because of its prefix, so sometimes it is helpful to know synonyms, which are words and phrases that have the same definition or meaning as another word or phrase. Synonyms are a great way to avoid repeating yourself and expand your vocabulary. This list of synonyms of invaluable is provided by Thesaurus.

  •  valued
  •  rich
  •  costly
  •  out-of-bounds
  •  precious
  •  without price
  •  in demand
  •  worth its weight in gold
  •  expensive
  •  profitable
  •  helpful
  •  treasured
  •  inestimable
  •  esteemed
  •  worthwhile
  •  high-priced
  •  hot
  •  dear
  •  prized
  •  hot property
  •  appreciated
  •  incomparable
  •  irreplaceable
  •  serviceable
  •  heirloom
  •  beyond price
  •  out-of-sight
  •  valuable
  •  held dear
  •  scarce
  •  estimable
  •  admired
  •  worth a king’s ransom
  •  collectible
  •  cherished
  •  worthy
  •  useful
  •  relevant
  •  of value
  •  priceless
  •  important
  •  rare
  •  incalculable
  •  respected
  •  beneficial

There are also many different words and phrases that mean the opposite of invaluable. These opposite words are called antonyms, which are another quick and easy way to expand your vocabulary. This list of antonyms of invaluable is also provided by Thesaurus.

  •  unessential
  •  mediocre
  •  unimportant
  •  unprofitable
  •  waste
  •  abject
  •  ineffectual
  •  profitless
  •  despicable
  •  base
  •  trivial
  •  paltry
  •  inferior
  •  barren
  •  meaningless
  •  futile
  •  inutile
  •  abandoned
  •  no-good
  •  ineffective
  •  wretched
  •  useless
  •  empty
  •  pointless
  •  unproductive
  •  poor
  •  unusable
  •  valueless
  •  trashy
  •  counterproductive
  •  bogus
  •  sterile
  •  insignificant
  •  contemptible
  •  cheap
  •  nugatory
  •  trifling
  •  miserable
  •  good-for-nothing
  •  nothing
  •  no-account
  •  inconsequential
  •  worthless
  •  ignoble
  •  unavailing

Overall, the word invaluable means above valuation, priceless, or worth a lot of money. While this prefix may seem confusing since the word in usually forms negation in the English language, it is still accurate. Something that is invaluable is not valuable in the sense that it is too precious to assign value to. On the contrary, something that is not valuable could also be something that is worthless. Make sure that you provide proper context when using the word invaluable so that others are not confused by your usage.

Sources:

  1. INVALUABLE Synonyms: 11 Synonyms & Antonyms for INVALUABLE | Thesaurus 
  2. WORTHLESS Synonyms: 56 Synonyms & Antonyms for WORTHLESS | Thesaurus 
  3. Invaluable: Meaning, Origin, Translation | Word Sense
  4. invaluable | Origin and meaning of invaluable | Online Etymology Dictionary 
  5. Invaluable | Definition of Invaluable | Merriam-Webster