Basic Details
Word: Valuable
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Worth a lot of money, or very useful and important.
Synonyms: precious, costly, useful, priceless
Antonyms: worthless, cheap, useless
How to Spell Valuable
Syllables: val - u - a - ble
Tricky part: Value loses its final e before -able, so there is no e after the u. The ending is -able, not -ible.
Watch out for: valueable, valuble, valuabel
Memory tip: Value says goodbye to its e when -able arrives: valu + able. A valuable thing is able to fetch a good price.
Usage Examples
Example 1: Grandma keeps her valuable gold bangles in a locker at the bank.
Example 2: The coach gave me valuable advice about my bowling grip.
Example 3: Clean drinking water is one of the most valuable things a village can have.
Fun Fact
Saffron is often called the most valuable spice by weight. Each crocus flower gives only three thin red threads, and they are picked by hand.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Connection
Choose the synonym of the word valuable as used in the sentence:
The retired headmaster's valuable suggestions helped the new principal settle the timetable within a week.
a) helpful
b) careless
c) worthless
d) trivial
Show answer
a) helpful. Suggestions that sorted out a timetable were of real use, so helpful fits; worthless and trivial say the reverse.
Mingle-Mangle
Unjumble the letters to find the word that fits the sentence:
The museum guard watched the lbvauale painting more closely than any other in the hall.
a) valuable
b) available
c) invaluable
d) variable
Show answer
a) valuable. The jumble has only eight letters and no i, so available, variable and invaluable cannot be made from it.
Word Cookie
Find the misspelt word in the sentence:
Seema found that the old coins in her grandfather's trunk were far more valuble than she had ever imagined.
a) imagined
b) trunk
c) grandfather's
d) valuble
Show answer
d) valuble. After the u of value comes the a of -able; without it the word falls apart.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Invaluable looks like an opposite, but it means ____.
a) too valuable to measure
b) costing very little money
c) having no value at all
d) worth exactly its price
Show answer
a) too valuable to measure
2. Which of these is valuable advice before an exam?
a) Skip breakfast to save time.
b) Leave your admit card at home.
c) Sleep well the night before.
d) Start revising at midnight.
Show answer
c) Sleep well the night before.
