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

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

Kenya's President William Ruto, who had previously appeared in public with Chivayo, paid tribute to him as a "dear friend" and sent condolences to the families of those killed.

From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026

“They’re coming after one of the things that’s dear to my heart, which are the kids and this program that I’ve been working on for the past two years,” Valladares declared in an Instagram post.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 29, 2026

Oh dear, this is the big one and here we are right above it, thought Dorothy.

From "Mountain of Fire" by Rebecca E. F. Barone

“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

He helped a few old dears over the threshold, didn't he?'

From BBC ● Aug. 23, 2023

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

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 1, 2016

“Broaden your minds, my dears, and allow your eyes to see past the mundane!”

From "Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban" by J.K. Rowling

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

They are near 27% dearer, rising from an average of 48p per kilogram to 61p.

From BBC ● Dec. 19, 2023

He promised to write often, but I longed for dearer words from him.

From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein

“The dearest things of all to them are fantastic goals, much more important than their daily bread.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026

"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

It’s a recipe that’s meant to be shared and enjoyed with your dearest loved ones.

From Salon ● May 10, 2026

She said the death had "shattered our family" and that her sister was the "dearest and most innocent member".

From BBC ● Mar. 13, 2026

This seems like a message asking someone—her dearest friend—to spirit him—Locke—away.

From "The Cruel Prince" by Holly Black

Related Words

• valuable