Dear

• POS: Interjection, Adjective, Noun, Adverb

OXFORD DICTIONARY

Dear, adj., n., adv., & int.
--adj.
1 a beloved or much esteemed. b as a merely polite or ironic form (my dear man).
2 used as a formula of address, esp. at the beginning of letters (Dear Sir).
3 (often foll. by to) precious; much cherished.
4 (usu. in superl.) earnest, deeply felt (my dearest wish).
5 a high-priced relative to its value. b having high prices. c (of money) available as a loan only at a high rate of interest.
--n. (esp. as a form of address) dear person.
--adv. at a high price or great cost (buy cheap and sell dear; will pay dear).
--int. expressing surprise, dismay, pity, etc. (dear me!; oh dear!; dear, dear!).

Idiom

Dear John colloq. a letter terminating a personal relationship. for dear life see LIFE.

Derivative

dearly adv. (esp. in sense 3 of adj.). dearness n.

Etymology

OE deore f. Gmc

THESAURUS

Dear

admired, adored, affectionate, angel, at a premium, at great cost, at great expense, at heavy cost, babe, baby, baby-doll, beloved, beloved object, beyond price, buttercup, cherished, cherub, chick, chickabiddy, costly, crush, darling, dear one, dear-bought, dearly, dearly beloved, deary, devoted, doll, doting, duck, duckling, esteemed, expensive, fancy, favored, favorite, fond, golden, good as gold, heartthrob, held dear, high, high-priced, hon, honey, honey bunch, honey child, honored, inestimable, invaluable, lamb, lambkin, light of love, love, loved, loved one, lover, lovesome, luxurious, not affordable, of great cost, of great price, pet, petkins, popular, precious, precious heart, premium, priceless, pricey, prized, revered, rich, snookums, steep, stiff, sugar, sumptuous, sweet, sweetheart, sweetie, sweetkins, sweets, top, treasure, treasured, truelove, unpayable, valuable, valued, venerated, well-beloved, well-liked, white-haired, worthy

ROGET THESAURUS

Dear

Dearness

N dearness, high price, famine price, fancy price, overcharge, extravagance, exorbitance, extortion, heavy pull upon the purse, dear, high, high priced, of great price, expensive, costly, precious, worth a Jew's eye, dear bought, at a premium, not to be had, not to be had for love or money, beyond price, above price, priceless, of priceless value, unreasonable, extravagant, exorbitant, extortionate, overpriced, more than it's woth, dear, dearly, at great cost, heavy cost, a grands frais, prices looking up, le jeu ne vaut pas la chandelle, le cout en ote le gout, vel prece vel pretio, too high a price to pay, not worth it, dearness, high price, famine price, fancy price, overcharge, extravagance, exorbitance, extortion, heavy pull upon the purse, dear, high, high priced, of great price, expensive, costly, precious, worth a Jew's eye, dear bought, at a premium, not to be had, not to be had for love or money, beyond price, above price, priceless, of priceless value, unreasonable, extravagant, exorbitant, extortionate, overpriced, more than it's woth, dear, dearly, at great cost, heavy cost, a grands frais, prices looking up, le jeu ne vaut pas la chandelle, le cout en ote le gout, vel prece vel pretio, too high a price to pay, not worth it.

Love

N love, fondness, liking, inclination, regard, dilection, admiration, fancy, affection, sympathy, fellow-feeling, tenderness, heart, brotherly love, benevolence, attachment, yearning, eros, tender passion, amour, gyneolatry, gallantry, passion, flame, devotion, fervor, enthusiasm, transport of love, rapture, enchantment, infatuation, adoration, idolatry, Cupid, Venus, myrtle, true lover's knot, love token, love suit, love affair, love tale, love story, the, old story, plighted love, courtship, amourette, free love, maternal love, storge, parental love, young love, puppy love, attractiveness, popularity, favorite, lover, suitor, follower, admirer, adorer, wooer, amoret, beau, sweetheart, inamorato, swain, young man, flame, love, truelove, leman, Lothario, gallant, paramour, amoroso, cavaliere servente, captive, cicisbeo, caro sposo, inamorata, ladylove, idol, darling, duck, Dulcinea, angel, goddess, cara sposa, betrothed, affianced, fiancee, flirt, coquette, amorette, pair of turtledoves, abode of love, agapemone, loving, fond of, taken with, struck with, smitten, bitten, attached to, wedded to, enamored, charmed, in love, love-sick, over head and ears in love, head over heels in love, affectionate, tender, sweet upon, sympathetic, loving, amorous, amatory, fond, erotic, uxorious, ardent, passionate, rapturous, devoted, motherly, loved, beloved well beloved, dearly beloved, dear, precious, darling, pet, little, favorite, popular, congenial, after one's mind, after one's taste, after one's fancy, after one's own heart, to one's mind, to one's taste, to one's fancy, to one's own heart, in one's good graces, dear as the apple of one's eye, nearest to one's heart, lovable, adorable, lovely, sweet, attractive, seductive, winning, charming, engaging, interesting, enchanting, captivating, fascinating, bewitching, amiable, like an angel, amantes amentes, credula res amor est, militat omnis amasius, love conquers all, omnia vincit amor, si vis amari ama, the sweetest joy, the wildest woe.