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Synonyms

dearly

British  
/ ˈdɪəlɪ /

adverb

  1. very much

    I would dearly like you to go

  2. affectionately

  3. at a great cost

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

I grew up in and love so dearly.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 26, 2026

Overspending cost them dearly - making Rio Ferdinand the world's most expensive defender, splashing out on Robbie Keane, Mark Viduka, Robbie Fowler and others - and saw the club eventually spiral into League One.

From BBC • Mar. 13, 2026

A recent Tax Court case highlights the pitfalls that can cost sellers dearly.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 10, 2026

And they paid dearly with an overthrown line-out hacked on by Bielle-Biarrey for Gailleton to charge 50 metres downfield before Ramos finished off the counter-attack in the corner.

From Barron's • Feb. 22, 2026

“But it’s not a law. We could go to Paris and to Rome or to Jerusalem. I would dearly love to see the Colosseum.”

From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.