Dear Definition

dîr
dearest, dearer
adjective
dearest, dearer
Much loved; beloved.
Webster's New World
Greatly valued; precious.
Lost everything dear to them.
American Heritage
Much valued; highly thought of; esteemed.
Dear Sir.
Webster's New World
High-priced; costly.
Webster's New World
Earnest; fervent.
Our dearest wish.
Webster's New World
noun
A loved person; darling.
Webster's New World
An endearing person; one who arouses gentle affection, tenderness, or gratitude.
Webster's New World
Antonyms:
adverb
With fondness; affectionately.
American Heritage
With deep affection.
Webster's New World
At a high cost.
Webster's New World
Synonyms:
interjection
Used to express distress, surprise, pity, etc., usually in phrases.
Oh, dear! dear me! dear God!
Webster's New World
verb

(obsolete) To endear.

Wiktionary

Other Word Forms of Dear

Noun

Singular:
dear
Plural:
dears

Adjective

Base Form:
dear
Comparative:
dearer
Superlative:
dearest

Origin of Dear

  • From Middle English dere, from Old English dēore. Cognate with Dutch duur (“costly, precious”), German teuer (“costly, precious”), Icelandic dýr (“expensive”), Norwegian dyr, Swedish dyr (“expensive”).

    From Wiktionary

  • Middle English dere, from Old English dēor. Cognate with the above

    From Wiktionary

  • Middle English dere from Old English dēore

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

  • Middle English dere from Old English dēor

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

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