dear
Other forms: dearer; dears
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.
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a beloved person; used as terms of endearment
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a sweet innocent mild-mannered person (especially a child)
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synonyms:
lamb
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type of:
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inexperienced person, innocent
a person who lacks knowledge of evil
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inexperienced person, innocent
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dearly loved
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with or in a close or intimate relationship
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earnest
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having a high price“much too dear for my pocketbook”
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synonyms:
costly, high-priced, pricey, pricy
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expensive
high in price or charging high prices
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expensive
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with affection
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synonyms:
affectionately, dearly
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at a great cost“this cost him dear”
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synonyms:
dearly
/dɪər/
/dɪə/
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