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View synonyms for dear

dear

1

[ deer ]

adjective

, dear·er, dear·est.
  1. beloved or loved:

    a dear friend.

    Synonyms: darling

  2. (used in the salutation of a letter as an expression of affection or respect or as a conventional greeting):

    Dear Sir.

  3. precious in one's regard; cherished:

    our dearest possessions.

  4. heartfelt; earnest:

    one's dearest wish.

  5. high-priced; expensive:

    The silk dress was too dear.

  6. charging high prices:

    That shop is too dear for my budget.

  7. excessive; high:

    a dear price to pay for one's independence.

  8. Obsolete. difficult to get; scarce.
  9. Obsolete. worthy; honorable.


noun

  1. a person who is good, kind, or generous:

    You're a dear to help me with the work.

  2. a beloved one.
  3. (sometimes initial capital letter) an affectionate or familiar term of address, as to a child or romantic partner (sometimes offensive when used to a stranger, subordinate, etc.)

adverb

  1. dearly; fondly.
  2. at a high price:

    That painting cost me dear.

interjection

  1. (used as an exclamation of surprise, distress, etc.):

    Oh dear, what a disappointment! Dear me! What's all that noise?

dear

2
or dere

[ deer ]

adjective

, Archaic.
, dear·er, dear·est.
  1. hard; grievous.

dear

/ dɪə /

adjective

  1. beloved; precious
  2. used in conventional forms of address preceding a title or name, as in Dear Sir or my dear Mr Smith
  3. postpositivefoll byto important; close

    a wish dear to her heart

    1. highly priced
    2. charging high prices
  4. appealing or pretty

    what a dear little ring!

  5. for dear life
    urgently or with extreme vigour or desperation
“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

interjection

  1. used in exclamations of surprise or dismay, such as Oh dear! and dear me!
“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

noun

  1. often used in direct address someone regarded with affection and tenderness; darling
“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

adverb

  1. dearly

    his errors have cost him dear

“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
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Derived Forms

  • ˈdearness, noun
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Other Words From

  • dearly adverb
  • dearness noun
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Word History and Origins

Origin of dear1

First recorded before 900; Middle English dere, deire, Old English dēore, dīore, dȳre; cognate with Old High German tiuri, Old Norse dȳrr

Origin of dear2

First recorded before 1000; Middle English dere “fierce, hard,” Old English dēor “brave, bold, severe”
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Word History and Origins

Origin of dear1

Old English dēore; related to Old Norse dӯrr
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Idioms and Phrases

In addition to the idiom beginning with dear , also see for dear life ; nearest and dearest .
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Synonym Study

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Example Sentences

"We mourn the loss of a dear friend, and a remarkable man," she said.

From BBC

This was a special dinner party with dear friends, and a supermarket bouquet wasn’t going to cut it.

“For me personally, there’s much bigger news out of San Antonio right now and that’s my dear friend Coach Pop,” James said after the Lakers’ 128-123 win over the Memphis Grizzlies.

The reckoning that needed to happen by the media in its normalizing of this man will now be replaced by the effort to hang on for dear life as the retribution begins.

From Salon

“A lot of people make a lot of very dear friends. ... You see them every day, and you think it’s gonna be like that for the rest of the time, and it’s not.”

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Related Words

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.

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