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Synonyms

dearly

British  
/ ˈdɪəlɪ /

adverb

  1. very much

    I would dearly like you to go

  2. affectionately

  3. at a great cost

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

I grew up in and love so dearly.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 26, 2026

Hitting those would cost Iran dearly since it is still exporting oil through the Strait.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 17, 2026

It cost her dearly as she finished just 1.89 points behind Liu, who surged to gold with her Donna Summer's disco version of "MacArthur Park".

From Barron's • Feb. 20, 2026

That decision has cost England dearly and, given how competitive that wing slot is, I am sure Borthwick is going to have to manage that scenario.

From BBC • Feb. 15, 2026

“She doesn’t look like my Jo any more, but I love her dearly for it!”

From "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.