dear

SayDEER/dɪɹ/UK/dɪə/

Noun pluraldears

14 meanings of dear

1
much lovedadjective
Loved or greatly valued by someone, as in 'a dear friend' or 'the house was dear to her'.
He remained a dear friend long after they stopped working together.
Their dearest friends gathered from three states to celebrate the anniversary.
Similarclose, beloved, cherished, treasured, precious
Note
H.L. Brækstad's translation of Asbjørnsen's Norwegian folk and fairy tales has "children dear." Paired with little, it turns to fondness for anything small and pleasant, even food: Norman Lindsay's Age of Consent (1938) promises "a dear little chicken with peas and roast potatoes."
Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 5 facts
H. L. Brækstad translated Asbjørnsen's Norwegian folk and fairy tales. fiftywordsforsnow.com
The translation contains the words "children dear," spoken by the mother in "The Pancake." fiftywordsforsnow.com
Norman Lindsay wrote Age of Consent. en.wikipedia.org
Age of Consent was first published in 1938. slq.qld.gov.au
Age of Consent contains the quoted description of a chicken dinner. en.wiktionary.org
2
formal letter startadjective
A conventional, polite way of opening a letter, memo, or email, placed before the recipient's name or title, sometimes after 'my.'
Dear Dr. Whitfield, I am writing to follow up on our conversation at the conference.
Dear Hiring Manager: Please consider my application for the marketing position.
3
warm addressadjective
Used, often after 'my', in addressing someone warmly or politely, or sometimes ironically or with condescension.
My dear Professor Hale, your lecture last night gave me a great deal to think about.
Of course you may borrow it, my dear fellow. Keep it as long as you like.
4
dismayinterjection
Used to express surprise, pity, or disapproval.
Oh dear, the cake has completely collapsed in the oven.
Dear me, whatever possessed him to quit without another job lined up?
UsageCommon forms are oh dear, dear me, and dear, dear. The doubled form can express disapproval, concern, or surprise.
Similargoodness, gosh
Note
The same word can carry pity or surprise just as easily, so the surrounding sentence decides which feeling is meant.
5
warm addressnoun
A loved person, or an affectionate, familiar name used to address someone close.
Yes, dear, I'll pick up the milk on my way home.
Don't worry, dear. Your grandfather and I have made that drive a hundred times.
UsageUsed alone to address someone close: Yes, dear. From a stranger it can sound patronizing.
Similardarling, honey, sweetheart, love, sweetie
6
expensiveadjectiveIrelandUK
High in price; expensive.
Petrol has got so dear lately that we've started cycling to work.
Flats near the high street are dearer than anything we looked at last year.
UsageOften with too or so: too dear, so dear. Compares as dearer, dearest.
Similarexpensive, costly, pricey
Oppositecheap, inexpensive
Note
Price and love share one root here. Old English dīere meant "of great value or excellence," "expensive" and "beloved" all at once, so a dear thing was simply one worth a great deal. In Britain and Ireland it is still an everyday word for prices, often with too or so, as in the Beatles' "When I'm Sixty-Four" (1967), which pairs it with too in a condition about cost.
7
adjective
Sweet, kind, and warm in manner, or showing loving affection.
She was a dear soul who never forgot a birthday.
Of all my aunts, Ruth was the dearest: endlessly patient and generous.
UsageIn old-fashioned speech, dear can follow the pattern of kind: how dear of you, it was dear of her to come.
Similarsweet, kind, lovely, lovable, warm
Note
Here the praise goes to what someone does or says, not to how much they are loved. Conan Doyle's The Lost World (1912) has "How dear of you to say that!" In the "loved" meaning, by contrast, the feeling runs toward the person rather than from their kindness.
Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 3 facts
Arthur Conan Doyle wrote The Lost World. en.wikisource.org
The Lost World was first published in 1912. en.wikipedia.org
The Lost World contains the exact quotation; the narrator, Edward Malone, says it to Gladys. gutenberg.org

Less common meanings

8
kind personnouncountable
A very kind, loving person.
The nurse who stayed late with us that night was an absolute dear.
Be a dear and pass me the salt, would you?
UsageCommon in be a dear and + verb, to ask a favour, and you're a dear, to thank someone.
Similarangel, darling, treasure, love
9
at great costadverb
At a high price or great cost; dearly.
His refusal to compromise cost him dear in the end.
The company paid dear for ignoring early warnings about the product.
UsageDear can follow cost and pay without -ly: it cost him dear, pay dear. Dearly also works.
Similarheavily
Note
It sits after cost and pay, as in Shakespeare's Othello: "it will cost thee dear." The price can be a loss or a defeat as well as money.
Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 1 fact
Shakespeare's Othello contains these exact words, spoken by Gratiano in Act 5, scene 2. folger.edu
10
old womannouncolloquialUKcountable
An older person, especially a woman, usually referred to as an old dear.
A little old dear in the front row knitted through the entire concert.
He spends his Saturdays driving the old dears on his street to their doctor's appointments.
UsageOld dear can sound affectionate or patronizing, depending on the context.
11
severeadjectivearchaic
Severe in force or effect, or severely affected by something; sore.
Similarsore, severe, harsh, grievous
Oppositemild
Note
A different word that happens to share the spelling. It comes from Middle English dere, "fierce, severe, hard, deadly," and before that from Old English dēor, "brave, bold; severe, dire." The two words are cognate, but this one never meant love or price, so a dear winter is a hard one, not a costly or cherished one. Context must carry the meaning, since the form alone cannot separate it from the "expensive" meaning.
Checked 30 Oct 2026 · 6 facts
The severe sense is treated as a separate word with the same spelling. en.wiktionary.org
This word comes from Middle English dere with the stated meanings. en.wiktionary.org
Its Old English predecessor is dēor, meaning brave, bold, severe or dire. gutenberg.org
The severe word and the expensive/beloved word are cognate. en.wiktionary.org
In the severe sense, a dear winter means a hard winter. en.wiktionary.org
The spelling alone does not distinguish the severe and expensive senses. en.wiktionary.org
12
adjectiveobsolete
Noble; of high rank, birth, or worth.
Note
An obsolete sense that keeps one of the word's Old English meanings, "of great value or excellence," the root shared with the "expensive" meaning. Worth here is a matter of rank and character, not of price or affection. A reader meeting "dear prince" in an old text should weigh "noble prince" as well as "beloved prince." Do not use it this way in modern writing, where it will be read as fondness.
Checked 30 Oct 2026 · 4 facts
Dear has an obsolete sense meaning noble or worthy. en.wiktionary.org
The noble and expensive senses share an Old English ancestor. gutenberg.org
In the noble sense, worth concerns standing or character rather than price or affection. en.wiktionary.org
Context must determine the meaning. In Oscar Wilde's The Happy Prince, the Swallow's address expresses affection, explicitly established by the narration. gutenberg.org
13
make lovedverbobsolete
To endear; to make (someone) beloved or cherished.
Nor should a Sonne his Sire loue for reward, But for he is his Sire, in nature dear’d.
1603, John Davies of Hereford, Microcosmos
Nay, hide him in thy house, and also show Such deared love to him, as to delight In his base company both day and night?
1679, Benjamin Keach, The Glorious Lover
Note
Old verse uses this verb almost only as its past participle, deared. Modern editions of Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra have the man who "comes deared by being lacked" (the 1623 Folio prints fear'd), and John Davies of Hereford's Microcosmos (1603) has a father loved "in nature dear'd." Benjamin Keach writes of "deared love" in 1679. The verb is now obsolete, so read deared as "made dear," where modern English would say endeared.
Checked 30 Oct 2026 · 6 facts
Modern editions of Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra include the quoted reading. The 2021 Arden edition confirms it; Caesar speaks the line. api.pageplace.de
The 1623 Folio reads fear'd. internetshakespeare.uvic.ca
John Davies of Hereford's Microcosmos was first published in 1603. shakespearedocumented.folger.edu
Microcosmos describes a father as naturally endeared to his son and contains the quoted words. raw.githubusercontent.com
Benjamin Keach uses the phrase deared love. en.wiktionary.org
The verb means to endear, supporting the interpretation made dear or endeared. gutenberg.org
14
adjectiveobsolete
Fierce or savage in temper or action.
Note
The fiercest face of the "severe" word, now obsolete. The Old English dēor behind it also meant "brave, bold." The line "The Christens found the heathens dear, as the lion doth the bear" shows how it worked: it describes an opponent who fights hard. A modern reader must not hear "beloved" in it.
Checked 30 Oct 2026 · 4 facts
The fierce sense belongs with the severe sense under the same historical etymology. en.wiktionary.org
This sense descends from Old English dēor. en.wiktionary.org
Old English dēor meant brave or bold, among other related meanings. gutenberg.org
The quotation has the stated wording and illustrates fierce opposition rather than affection. en.wiktionary.org

Practice

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Origins

Meanings 1–10, 12–13

Proto-Germanic *diurijaz ("dear, precious, expensive") gave Old English dīere, meaning "of great value, expensive, beloved," which became Middle English dere. Dutch duur and German teuer ("costly, precious") are related, as is dyr ("expensive") in Danish, Swedish, and Norwegian.

Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 6 facts

Proto-Germanic *diurijaz meant 'dear, precious, expensive'. en.wiktionary.org
Old English dīere descended from Proto-Germanic *diurijaz. en.wiktionary.org
Old English dīere meant 'of great value, expensive, beloved' and developed into Middle English dere. en.wiktionary.org
Dutch duur is related to English dear through their common Proto-Germanic ancestor. en.wiktionary.org
German teuer is related to English dear and means 'costly, precious'. en.wiktionary.org
Danish, Swedish, and Norwegian dyr are related forms meaning 'expensive'. en.wiktionary.org

Meanings 11, 14

Proto-Germanic *deuzaz became Old English dēor, meaning "brave, bold, severe, dire, vehement," and then Middle English dere ("fierce, severe, hard, deadly").

Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 3 facts

Old English dēor derives from Proto-Germanic *deuzaz. en.wiktionary.org
Old English dēor meant brave, bold, severe, dire, and vehement. en.wiktionary.org
Middle English dere derives from Old English dēor and meant fierce, severe, hard, and deadly. en.wiktionary.org