dear (dɪə
)
Definitions
adjective
- beloved; precious
- used in conventional forms of address preceding a title or name, as in used in conventional forms of address preceding a title or name, as in Dear Sir or used in conventional forms of address preceding a title or name, as in or my dear Mr Smith
- (postpositive) foll by to important; close ⇒
a wish dear to her heart
- highly priced
- charging high prices
- appealing or pretty ⇒
what a dear little ring!
- See for dear life
exclamation
- used in exclamations of surprise or dismay, such as used in exclamations of surprise or dismay, such as Oh dear! and used in exclamations of surprise or dismay, such as and dear me!
noun
- (often used in direct address) someone regarded with affection and tenderness; darling
adverb
- dearly ⇒
his errors have cost him dear
Alternative Forms
ˈdearness nounWord Origin
Old English dēore; related to Old Norse dӯrrSynonyms
View thesaurus entry=
beloved,
close,
valued,
favourite,
respected,
prized,
dearest,
sweet,
treasured,
precious,
darling,
intimate,
esteemed,
cherished,
revered,
=
charming,
appealing,
winning,
pleasing,
attractive,
engaging,
lovely,
pleasant,
fetching,
delightful,
cute,
irresistible,
captivating,
bewitching,
winsome,
cutesy,
likable or likeable
Translations
- British English:
dear
You use dear to describe someone or something that you feel affection for.Mrs Cavendish is a dear friend of mine.dɪə ADJECTIVE Mrs Cavendish is a dear friend of mine.
- Spanish:
querido
adj querida
- French:
cher
adj
- German:
lieb
adj
- Chinese: 亲爱的 adj
- Arabic: عَزِيز adj
- Portuguese: querido adj querida
- Russian: дорогой adj дорогая
- Croatian: dragi adj draga
- Czech: milovaný adj
- Danish: kære adj
- Dutch: dierbaar adj
- Finnish: rakas adj
- Greek: αγαπητός adj αγαπητή
- Italian: caro adj cara
- Japanese: 親愛な no_posp
- Korean: 사랑하는 adj
- Norwegian: kjær adj
- Polish: kochany adj kochana
- Brazilian Portuguese: querido adj querida
- European Spanish:
querido
adj querida
- Swedish: kär adj kärt
- Thai: ซึ่งเป็นที่รักยิ่ง adj
- Turkish: sevgili adj
- Vietnamese: thân yêu adj
- British English:
dear
Something that is dear costs a lot of money.Taxis here are too dear.dɪə ADJECTIVE Taxis here are too dear.
- Spanish:
costoso
adj costosa
- French:
cher
adj
- German:
teuer
adj
- Chinese: 昂贵的 adj
- Arabic: غَالٍ adj
- Portuguese: caro adj cara
- Russian: дорогой adj дорогая
- Croatian: skup adj skupa
- Czech: drahý adj
- Danish: dyr adj
- Dutch: duur adj
- Finnish: kallis adj
- Greek: πολύτιμος adj πολύτιμη
- Italian: costoso adj costosa
- Japanese: 高価な no_posp
- Korean: 비싼 adj
- Norwegian: dyr adj
- Polish: drogi adj droga
- Brazilian Portuguese: custoso adj custosa
- European Spanish:
costoso
adj costosa
- Swedish: dyr adj dyrt
- Thai: มีราคาสูง adj
- Turkish: pahalı adj
- Vietnamese: đắt đỏ adj
Usage examples
I was actually looking at the houses Cheetham and Lomax had bought cheap to do up and sell dear.
, KICK BACK (2002)The extra energy expended stiffening tissue can cost farmers dear , however.
New Scientist (1998)Basil gives me an apologetic look, one that says: "Oh dear.
Globe and Mail (2003)At Bristol City, the Swede proved as popular in the West Country as dear old Jozef Venglos in the East End of Glasgow.
Glasgow Herald (2001)Nevertheless, when dear Miss Collins migrated to Australia the chance to stop was allowed to slip and she was replaced by others.
, THE MEDICAL MYSTERIES E-OMNIBUS (2001)