Please explain the difference between "valued" and "valuable" when talking about goods. Which of them should be used to indicate intangible value and which to indicate price? For example, if a product is very useful and inexpensive, is it "valued" or "valuable"?

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    Well, technically "valuable" means capable of having a value assigned, while "valued" means having had a value assigned. – Hot Licks Nov 29 '15 at 3:03
  • @HotLicks: It may be capable of having a value assigned, but that is only because it has value. Something that has value is valuable. Assignment of a specific value (e.g. a grade or a quantity of money) is a way to indicate that something has value (is valuable), and it can serve as proof that it is valuable, but it is not what makes the item valuable. Assigning value is especially a way to measure how valuable it is considered to be. – Drew Jun 8 '17 at 17:32

Valuable means something is likely to be valued by a lot of people.

Valued means it's definitely already valued by some people.

If a product is inexpensive, it may be valued by those who own it, but it can hardly be valuable.


Typical uses of valued are:

The item was valued at $5000

… which means that it was judged to be worth $5000.

He was a valued member of the team

… which means that he was a useful member whose value to the team is appreciated by others.

Typical uses of valuable are:

It was a valuable item, being valued at $5000.

… "valuable" here meaning worth a lot of money.

He was a valuable member of the team.

… meaning pretty much the same as before, except that there's no implication that others appreciate his value.


I disagree with the accepted answer, by @Ricky.

I would say that a thing that is valuable has value. It is not that it is "likely" to have value or that "many people" have valued it. It is enough that it has value for one person for it to be valuable to that person.

See the examples given in the answer by @ralph.m.

Adjective: valuable val-yoo-u-bul

  1. Having great material or monetary value especially for use or exchange

    "a valuable diamond"

  2. Having worth, merit or value

    "a valuable friend";

    • worthful

-- WordWeb

Adjective: valued val-yood




    "a valued friend";

    • precious

-- WordWeb


-"This object looks valuable, I wonder how much it is worth." -"I'll tell you, it is valued at £20."

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    Please explain your answer in full. How does this demonstrate the difference between the two words? – Matt E. Эллен Jun 9 '17 at 11:06

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