dear

¹ American  

[deer] / dɪər /

adjective

• dearer,
  comparative
• dearest
  superlative

1. beloved or loved.

   a dear friend.

   Synonyms:

   darling

2. (used in the salutation of a letter as an expression of affection or respect or as a conventional greeting).

   Dear Sir.

3. precious in one's regard; cherished.

   our dearest possessions.

4. heartfelt; earnest.

   one's dearest wish.

5. high-priced; expensive.

   The silk dress was too dear.

6. charging high prices.

   That shop is too dear for my budget.

7. excessive; high.

   a dear price to pay for one's independence.

8. Obsolete. difficult to get; scarce.

9. Obsolete. worthy; honorable.

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noun

• dears
  plural

1. a person who is good, kind, or generous.

   You're a dear to help me with the work.

2. a beloved one.

3. (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.)

adverb

1. dearly; fondly.

2. at a high price.

   That painting cost me dear.

interjection

1. (used as an exclamation of surprise, distress, etc.).

   Oh dear, what a disappointment! Dear me! What's all that noise?

dear ² American  

[deer] / dɪər /

Or dere

adjective

Archaic.

• dearer,
  comparative
• dearest
  superlative

1. hard; grievous.

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dear British  

/ dɪə /

adjective

1. beloved; precious

2. used in conventional forms of address preceding a title or name, as in Dear Sir or my dear Mr Smith

3. important; close

   a wish dear to her heart

4. 1. highly priced

   2. charging high prices

5. appealing or pretty

   what a dear little ring!

6. urgently or with extreme vigour or desperation

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interjection

1. used in exclamations of surprise or dismay, such as Oh dear! and dear me!

noun

1. (often used in direct address) someone regarded with affection and tenderness; darling

adverb

1. dearly

   his errors have cost him dear

dear Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing dear

• for dear life
• nearest and dearest

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Synonym Usage

See expensive.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• dearness
  noun
• dearly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• dears
  plural

Adjectives

• dearer
  comparative
• dearest
  superlative

Etymology

Origin of dear¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English dere, deire, Old English dēore, dīore, dȳre; cognate with Old High German tiuri, Old Norse dȳrr

Origin of dear²

First recorded before 1000; Middle English dere “fierce, hard,” Old English dēor “brave, bold, severe”

Explanation

If someone or something is dear to you, it means you hold them or it very close to your heart, as in "My country is very dear to me" or "She is a dear friend." As a written form of address — such as "Dear Mr. So-and-so" — dear is generally a polite but impersonal standard greeting. Dear can sometimes mean expensive, as in "The cost of food is so dear these days," though that's a rather dated usage nowadays. Used about children, baby animals, or other examples of insufferable cuteness, dear can also mean "sweet" or "adorable." In this sense, dear is a favorite word of grandmothers and other doting relations.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

dear dears dearer dearest

I have no children, and I’ve always planned for whatever I leave to go to my brother, a dear friend and a couple of charities I care about.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 9, 2026

He wrote: "Jeffrey Archer was a dear friend and an extraordinary human being. His gift for storytelling was matched by his wit, warmth and boundless energy. Life was never dull in Jeffrey's company."

From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026

The author himself was conflicted about her, writing Cathy as a dangerous beauty incapable of empathy in his book, yet expressing how dear she was to him in letters to his editor, Pascal Covici.

From Salon ● Oct. 3, 2026

"I think of you, dear families, who, despite the many difficulties you face each day, persevere courageously in your vocation and mission," Pope Leo said.

From Barron's ● Sep. 26, 2026

“I will, dear boy! You too will learn to find me in all that we have loved together.”

From "Flying Through Water" by Mamle Wolo

“We didn’t keep that,” she said, “but I loved learning what Lydia would do if she could. ‘Eyes forward dears, we are not sitting comfortably in a class room.’”

From Los Angeles Times ● May 13, 2025

I would think to myself, Oh, my dears, if you could only see who you are speaking to and how hard they work.

From Slate ● Apr. 4, 2024

By ingesting the chirpy little dears, Bergenkind seeks to internalize the little guys’ sunny joyfulness.

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 1, 2016

According to Dr Williams, this translates as: "I expect a letter very soon, and that my dears are very well, and so night dear my dears."

From BBC ● Jan. 28, 2011

But do not toil too hard, my dears.

From "Ella Enchanted" by Gail Carson Levine

Meanwhile, what got cheaper diverged sharply from what got dearer.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026

"Of course Gaza is dearer than here, but there, there is no home left, nothing."

From Barron's ● May 9, 2026

But in 2023, artists also took another step in reclaiming aspects of our humanity and holding them a little dearer.

From Seattle Times ● Dec. 23, 2023

Just as tomato prices begin cooling down, onions have gotten dearer by a quarter since June in the domestic market.

From BBC ● Aug. 30, 2023

“I’m going very fast, and he’s getting dearer every minute,” added Jo to herself, then with a mental shake she entered into the business with an energy that was pleasant to behold.

From "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott

"It is truly my dearest wish that this opens the way for other women who might not have dared until now," the 59-year-old, who lives in Anglet in southwestern France, said.

From Barron's ● Aug. 26, 2026

Oscar-winning actress and Wednesday star Catherine Zeta-Jones led the tributes to Bonnie Tyler earlier this month, saying her heart was "broken" with the news that "our dearest Bonnie Tyler has passed away".

From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026

Even the non-thriller themes — female friendship, aging, ageism, admitting the truth about oneself to oneself and one’s dearest, the invigorating effects of danger — are explicitly expressed.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026

Over dinner recently, I got to talking with one of my dearest friends — let’s call him Paul — about relationships.

From Salon ● Jul. 5, 2026

Today I have gathered together my nearest and dearest, my sixteen nieces and nephews "What!"

From "The Westing Game" by Ellen Raskin

Related Words

• valuable