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value
/ˈvæljuː/
When used to describe a person's principles (e.g., "family values"), the word is almost always used in the plural form ("values"). As a verb, "value" can be followed by a price or an amount when estimating worth, or it can be followed directly by a person or object when expressing appreciation.
💬Casual Conversation
Mark, please tell me you didn't just tank the value of the whole account.
Chill. I'm just winging it until David checks the numbers.
Meanings
The regard that something is held to deserve; the importance, utility, or worth of something.
"I fail to see the value in spending hours on this task."
A person's principles or standards of behavior; one's judgment of what is important in life.
"Family values are central to their culture."
Examples
I really value your honesty, even if it hurts.
Look, the market value just plummeted! We have to sell!
I simply don't see any value in this project anymore.
Our family values don't allow for that kind of behavior!
What do you value most in a potential employee?
The value of this ring is honestly quite low.
I value our friendship too much to lie to you.
The appraiser will value the estate by tomorrow morning.
I think this old watch has some real value.
He doesn't share my values when it comes to money.
Collocations & Compounds
market value
The amount for which something can be sold on a competitive market.
face value
The nominal value of a security or the apparent value of something at first glance.
family values
Moral standards and beliefs centered on the family unit.
added value
Additional features or benefits that increase the worth of a product or service.
nutritional value
The amount of vitamins, minerals, and energy provided by food.
Idioms & Sayings
value for money
Something that is well worth the money spent on it.
face value
The apparent value of something, or accepting something as it appears without further investigation.
added value
Additional features or benefits that make a product or service more attractive or valuable.
market value
The amount for which something can be sold on the open market.
Cultural Context
In the realm of classical economics, there exists a fascinating puzzle known as the 'Paradox of Value,' first articulated by Adam Smith. The paradox asks a deceptively simple question: why is water, which is absolutely essential for human survival, so cheap, while diamonds, which serve no practical purpose other than ornamentation, command such an astronomical value?
To solve this, economists eventually moved away from the idea of 'use-value' (the utility of an object) and toward 'exchange-value.' The breakthrough came with the concept of marginal utility. Imagine you are stranded in a desert. In that moment, the first glass of water has near-infinite value because it saves your life. However, if you were standing next to a freshwater lake, the 'marginal' value of one more gallon of water is practically zero because your need is already satisfied.
Diamonds, conversely, remain rare. Because they are scarce, the marginal utility of obtaining one more diamond remains high. Thus, the market value of an object isn't determined by its total usefulness to humanity, but by how much we value the very next unit of that good available to us.
This psychological shift reveals a profound truth about human nature: our perception of value is not absolute, but relative. We don't value things based on their intrinsic essence, but based on scarcity and desire. This explains why a rare postage stamp or a digital NFT can be worth millions while the air we breathe—the most valuable substance in the universe for a biological organism—is free. The Paradox of Value teaches us that our economy is not a mirror of necessity, but a map of human longing and rarity.