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
Synonyms:
noun
A loved person; darling.
Webster's New World
An endearing person; one who arouses gentle affection, tenderness, or gratitude.
Webster's New World
Synonyms:
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:
dearsAdjective
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
Related Articles
Find Similar Words
Find similar words to dear using the buttons below.