“Valuable” Versus “Invaluable”

Reader Siva asked about the difference between “valuable” and “invaluable” and why “invaluable” is different from “incurable.”

It’s possible to put a price on something that is merely valuable, but when you add the “in-” prefix, you get “invaluable,” which today means so priceless that it is beyond value. Synonyms include “inestimable” (“can’t be estimated”) and “incalculable” (“can’t be calculated”). You can think of “invaluable” as meaning “can’t be valued.”

Some sources say the origin of “invaluable” is an obsolete meaning of “capable of valuation” (1) and other sources say the origin is a meaning of “not able to estimate the  value of.” (2) It appears from the Oxford English Dictionary and Merriam-Webster entries that hundreds of years ago, “invaluable” meant both “priceless” and “without value.” (3, 4)

The “in-” prefix has different meanings, which makes it confusing for people who are learning English. Consider these examples:

In- as a Negative

• Independent (not dependent)

• Incurable (not curable)

• Informal (not formal)

In- as an Intensifier

• Inflame (to set fire to)

• Infringe (to break something, such as a law. The “fringe” root comes from a Latin word meaning “to break.”)

In- as a Physical Locator

• Inland (in the land, usually away from the water)

• Indoors (inside the doors)

Even these examples are a simplification of all the different, subtle meanings of the “in-” prefix. Unfortunately, if you are learning English, you can’t rely on “in-” to mean just one thing.

References

• invaluable. Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, Inc. https://dictionary.reference.com/browse/invaluable (accessed January 29, 2012).
• invaluable. Dictionary.com. Online Etymology Dictionary. Douglas Harper, Historian. https://dictionary.reference.com/browse/invaluable (accessed January 29, 2012).
• invaluable, adj. (and n.) Oxford English Dictionary, second edition, 1989; online version December 2011． https://oed.com/view/Entry/98913 (accessed January 29, 2012).
• “invaluable.” Webster’s Third New International Dictionary, Unabridged. Merriam-Webster, 2002． https://unabridged.merriam-webster.com (accessed January 29, 2012).

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