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dear

dear
D d

Transcription

    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • UK Pronunciation
    • UK IPA
    • [deer]
    • /dɪər/
    • /dɪə(r)/
    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • [deer]
    • /dɪər/

Definitions of dear word

  • adjective dear You use dear to describe someone or something that you feel affection for. 3
  • adjective dear If something is dear to you or dear to your heart, you care deeply about it. 3
  • adjective dear You use dear in expressions such as 'my dear fellow', 'dear girl', or 'my dear Richard' when you are addressing someone whom you know and are fond of. You can also use expressions like this in a rude way to indicate that you think you are superior to the person you are addressing. 3
  • adjective dear Dear is written at the beginning of a letter, followed by the name or title of the person you are writing to. 3
  • convention dear In British English, you begin formal letters with 'Dear Sir' or 'Dear Madam'. In American English, you begin them with 'Sir' or 'Madam'. 3
  • countable noun dear You can call someone dear as a sign of affection. 3

Information block about the term

Origin of dear

First appearance:

before 900
One of the 4% oldest English words
before 900; Middle English dere, Old English dēore; cognate with Old High German tiuri, Old Norse dȳrr

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Dear

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation

dear popularity

A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 87% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.
Most Europeans know this English word. The frequency of it’s usage is somewhere between "mom" and "screwdriver".

dear usage trend in Literature

This diagram is provided by Google Ngram Viewer

Synonyms for dear

adj dear

  • pet — a fit of peevishness, sulking, or bad mood.
  • familiar — well-acquainted; thoroughly conversant: to be familiar with a subject.
  • darling — You call someone darling if you love them or like them very much.
  • close — When you close something such as a door or lid or when it closes, it moves so that a hole, gap, or opening is covered.
  • intimate — associated in close personal relations: an intimate friend.

adjective dear

  • beloved — A beloved person, thing, or place is one that you feel great affection for.
  • valued — highly regarded or esteemed: a valued friend.
  • favourite — a person or thing regarded with special favor or preference: That song is an old favorite of mine.
  • favorite — a person or thing regarded with special favor or preference: That song is an old favorite of mine.

noun dear

  • sweetheart — either of a pair of lovers in relation to the other.
  • dearest — You can call someone dearest when you are very fond of them.
  • love — a profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person.
  • honey — a sweet, viscid fluid produced by bees from the nectar collected from flowers, and stored in nests or hives as food.
  • heartthrob — a rapid beat or pulsation of the heart.

interjection dear

  • dear me — surprise
  • oh — the exclamation “oh.”.
  • alas — You use alas to say that you think that the facts you are talking about are sad or unfortunate.
  • gee — to agree; get along.
  • too bad — not good in any manner or degree.

Antonyms for dear

adj dear

  • unfriendly — not amicable; not friendly or kindly in disposition; unsympathetic; aloof: an unfriendly coldness of manner.
  • hateful — arousing hate or deserving to be hated: the hateful oppression of dictators.
  • unimportant — of much or great significance or consequence: an important event in world history.
  • valueless — without worth or value; worthless: valueless stocks; a valueless promise.
  • worthless — without worth; of no use, importance, or value; good-for-nothing: a worthless person; a worthless contract.

adjective dear

  • hated — to dislike intensely or passionately; feel extreme aversion for or extreme hostility toward; detest: to hate the enemy; to hate bigotry.

noun dear

  • foe — a person who feels enmity, hatred, or malice toward another; enemy: a bitter foe.
  • hate — to dislike intensely or passionately; feel extreme aversion for or extreme hostility toward; detest: to hate the enemy; to hate bigotry.

Top questions with dear

  • how to cook dear meat?
  • dear whom it may concern?
  • what is a dear john letter?
  • what is dear zachary about?
  • how does dear john end?
  • how do you say dear in spanish?
  • where was dear john filmed?
  • dear to whom it may concern?
  • how to say dear in spanish?
  • you ll never know dear how much i love you?
  • oh dear what can the matter be?
  • how do you spell dear?
  • who wrote dear john?
  • what does my dear mean?
  • what do you do dear?

See also

Matching words

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