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Synonyms of 'dear'

dear

Explore 'dear' in the dictionary
1 (adjective) 
Definition
beloved
Mrs Cavendish is a dear friend of mine.
Synonyms
beloved
She lost her beloved dog last year.
close
She and Linda became very close.
valued
a valued member of the team
favourite
Her favourite writer is Charles Dickens.
respected
prized
his most prized possession
dearest
sweet (archaic)
my dear, sweet mother
treasured
precious
her most precious possession
darling
my darling baby boy
intimate
I discussed this only with my intimate friends.
esteemed
cherished
revered
Opposites
hated
,
disliked
2 (adjective) 
Definition
charging high prices
Don't buy that one – it's too dear.
Synonyms
expensive
He has a lot of expensive recording equipment.
costly
Having curtains professionally made can be costly.
high-priced
high-priced medical equipment
excessive
pricey (informal)
Medical insurance is very pricey.
at a premium
Tickets to the game are at a premium.
overpriced
exorbitant
exorbitant housing prices
Opposites
cheap
,
inexpensive
,
worthless
3 (adjective) 
the joy of seeing the looks on their dear little faces
Synonyms
charming
I found her a delightful and charming young woman.
appealing
That's a very appealing idea.
winning
She had great charm and a winning personality.
pleasing
a pleasing personality
attractive
We are often drawn to attractive people.
engaging
She was a most engaging child.
lovely
You look lovely.
pleasant
He was most anxious to seem agreeable and pleasant.
fetching (informal)
She wore a fetching outfit in purple and green.
delightful
The most delightful garden I had ever seen.
cute
a cute little baby
irresistible
The music is irresistible.
captivating
bewitching
winsome
She gave them a winsome smile.
cutesy (informal)
likable or likeable
(noun) 
Definition
(often used in direct address) someone regarded with affection
Yes, my dear.
Synonyms
darling
Hello, darling!
love
Don't cry, my love.
dearest
What's wrong, my dearest?
sweet
`Welcome home, my sweet!' he said.
angel (informal)
Thank you. You're an angel.
treasure
Aren't I going to see my little treasure on her birthday?
precious
honey
beloved
He takes his beloved in his arms.
loved one
sweetheart
Happy birthday, sweetheart!
truelove
(adverb) 
Definition
dearly
Such complacency is costing the company dear.
Synonyms
dearly
He is paying dearly for his folly.
at a high price
at great cost
at a heavy cost
Copyright © 2016 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.

Additional synonyms

in the sense of angel
Definition
a person who is kind, pure, or beautiful
Thank you. You're an angel.
Synonyms
dear,
ideal,
beauty,
saint,
treasure,
darling,
dream,
jewel,
gem,
paragon
in the sense of appealing
Definition
attractive or pleasing
That's a very appealing idea.
Synonyms
attractive,
inviting,
engaging,
charming,
winning,
desirable,
endearing,
alluring,
winsome,
prepossessing
in the sense of at a premium
Definition
at a higher price than usual
Tickets to the game are at a premium.
Synonyms
in great demand,
valuable,
expensive,
rare,
costly,
scarce,
in short supply,
hard to come by,
like gold dust,
beyond your means,
not to be had for love or money

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dear

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'dear'
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Browse alphabetically
dear

  • dealer
  • dealings
  • dean
  • dear
  • dearest
  • dearly
  • dearth

  • All ENGLISH synonyms that begin with 'D'

Related terms of
dear

  • for dear life
  • hold something or someone dear

Source

Thesaurus for dear from the Collins English Thesaurus
1 2 3 4
New from Collins

Quick word challenge

Quiz Review

Question: 1
-

Score: 0 / 5

manner or manor?

Which version is correct?
She smiled again in a friendly manner. She smiled again in a friendly manor.

to or too or two?

Which version is correct?
She went to the window and looked out. She went too the window and looked out. She went two the window and looked out.

marshal or martial?

Which version is correct?
A fire marshal appeared at our door. A fire martial appeared at our door.

aid or aide?

Drag the correct answer into the box.
aide
aid
She was a close   to the Prime Minister.

councillor or counsellor?

Drag the correct answer into the box.
councillor
counsellor
He was also a local  .
Your score:
Aug 29, 2021
Word of the day
cou-cou
a preparation of boiled corn meal and okras , stirred to a stiff consistency with a cou-cou stick , eaten in the Caribbean
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Scrabble score
for 'dear':
5

Quick word challenge

Quiz Review

Question: 1
-

Score: 0 / 5

hoard or horde?

Which version is correct?
They began to hoard food and save money. They began to horde food and save money.

knot or not?

Which version is correct?
One lace had broken and been tied in a knot. One lace had broken and been tied in a not.

gone or went?

Which version is correct?
I gone home at the weekend.  I went home at the weekend. 

gorilla or guerilla?

Which version is correct?
It was the beginning of a gorilla war. It was the beginning of a guerilla war.

flew or flu?

Drag the correct answer into the box.
flew
flu
The plane   through the clouds.
Your score:
Updating our Usage
There are many diverse influences on the way that English is used across the world today. We look at some of the ways in which the language is changing. Read our series of blogs to find out more. October 30, 2020 Read more
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