ALL meanings of dear
dear
D d - 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
- exclamation dear You can use dear in expressions such as 'oh dear', 'dear me', and 'dear, dear' when you are sad, disappointed, or surprised about something. 3
- countable noun dear You can call someone a dear when you are fond of them and think that they are nice. 3
- adjective dear If you say that something is dear, you mean that it costs a lot of money, usually more than you can afford or more than you think it should cost. 3
- adjective dear beloved; precious 3
- adjective dear used in conventional forms of address preceding a title or name, as in Dear Sir or my dear Mr Smith 3
- adjective dear important; close 3
- adjective dear highly priced 3
- adjective dear charging high prices 3
- adjective dear appealing or pretty 3
- exclamation dear used in exclamations of surprise or dismay, such as Oh dear! and dear me! 3
- noun dear someone regarded with affection and tenderness; darling 3
- abbreviation DEAR dearly 3
- adjective dear much loved; beloved 3
- adjective dear much valued; highly thought of; esteemed 3
- adjective dear high-priced; costly 3
- adjective dear earnest; fervent 3
- adverb dear with deep affection 3
- adverb dear at a high cost 3
- noun dear a loved person; darling 3
- noun dear an endearing person; one who arouses gentle affection, tenderness, or gratitude 3
- interjection dear used to express distress, surprise, pity, etc., usually in phrases 3
- adjective dear hard; grievous. 1
- noun dear a person who is good, kind, or generous: You're a dear to help me with the work. 1
- noun dear a beloved one. 1
- noun dear (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.) 1
- adverb dear dearly; fondly. 1
- adverb dear at a high price: That painting cost me dear. 1
- adjective dear in letter: salutation 1
- adjective dear beloved 1
- adjective dear respected, esteemed 1
- adjective dear precious 1
- adjective dear item: expensive 1
- adjective dear shop: charges high prices 1
- adverb dear at a high price 1
- noun dear person: lovable 1
- interjection dear term of address 1
- noun dear Regarded with deep affection; cherished by someone. 1
- noun dear A very kind, loving person. 0
- noun dear A beloved person. 0
- verb dear (Obsolete (No longer in use)) To endear. 0
- adjective dear Loved; lovable. 0
- adjective dear Loving, affectionate, heartfelt. 0
- adjective dear Precious to or greatly valued by someone. 0
- adjective dear High in price; expensive. 0