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I'm not a native speaker. Most of the time when I hear a word that starts with "in-" I think of an opposite, a negation:

  • visible – invisible
  • valid – invalid
  • dependent – independent

But I get puzzled by invaluable. This is actually like superlative, right? You have some skill that is valuable and then you have the top skill, the most precious one – the invaluable one.

Am I understanding the words valuable and invaluable in the wrong way, or is "in-" in this case something different?

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  • 1
    This earlier question about invaluable was closed but the answers cover the same topic.
    – Stuart F
    Commented Feb 22, 2023 at 11:26
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    Flammable - Inflammable is another confusing one.
    – Grollo
    Commented Feb 22, 2023 at 15:50
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    @Grollo Safety signs typically avoid the word inflammable to prevent the confusion. In addition there may be a slight difference in that you can set fire to something flammable with a source of ignition while something inflammable can burst into flames on its own.
    – Henry
    Commented Feb 22, 2023 at 16:14
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    @Grollo Why are not "infamous" and "inflammable" the opposite of "famous" and "flammable"? explains clearly that in the case of inflammable in- is not the negative prefix, but rather the preposition in. Sorted!
    – fev
    Commented Feb 22, 2023 at 17:43
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    It is exactly the same as why "priceless" does not mean "free"
    – thegreatemu
    Commented Feb 23, 2023 at 0:56

2 Answers 2

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Valuable and invaluable are not antonyms, but the prefix in- still means not. M-W explains:

Valuable and invaluable do mean similar things, but the in- in invaluable isn't playing any tricks. It simply means "not." We think of valuable as meaning "having a great deal of value," as in "valuable jewelry" or "learned a valuable lesson."

Invaluable, on the other hand, means "valuable beyond estimation." Much like priceless, it describes something that is of such a great value that it cannot fairly be quantified.

To understand how invaluable was formed, Etymonline comes handy:

1570s, "above value, too valuable for exact estimate," from in- "not" + value (v.) "estimate the worth of" + -able. It also has been used in a sense "without value, worthless" (1630s, from in- + valuable).

Although it has been used as the antonym of valuable in the past, now that meaning has not survived.

M-W says:

While the verb value often means "to prize or esteem" (as in "I value our friendship"), it can also mean "to estimate or assign the monetary worth of" or "appraise." If something is of such a nature that its importance cannot be stated in monetary terms, that obviously makes it unable to be valued, or invaluable.

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    how do we explain "inflammable"? I think I got it: "able to be inflamed"
    – Stack Exchange Supports Israel
    Commented Feb 22, 2023 at 17:38
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    @user253751 Correct. Read Why are not "infamous" and "inflammable" the opposite of "famous" and "flammable"?, might clear it up for you.
    – fev
    Commented Feb 22, 2023 at 17:41
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    It seems to be that English language doesn't follow very strict rules. Rather, the rules seem to be built to cater for what exists as English language.
    – paki eng
    Commented Feb 23, 2023 at 2:34
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    @pakieng Yes! The spoken language came first, then the written language, then the guys who made up the rules.
    – Simon Crase
    Commented Feb 23, 2023 at 4:32
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    @SimonCrase Well, in this case English wasn't necessarily at fault. Inflammable means flammable/can combust in French. French doesn't have the word flammable for some reason (nothing seems inherently "wrong" with it, it just doesn't exist). To denote flameproof, you have "ininflammable" - yes, double ins/ not not. So at least for this word, blame whatever language originally sourced the mess (French? Latin?).
    – Italian Philosophers 4 Monica
    Commented Feb 23, 2023 at 20:41
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Invaluable - not valuable. If you brought something that was a fake or worth $0, would it not be invaluable? Like a fake coin would be invaluable.

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  • Invaluable vs Unvaluable - maybe the difference is there and why you are getting confused.
    – Kkimme
    Commented Dec 28, 2023 at 3:09
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