noun A darling: a word denoting tender affection or endearment, most commonly used in direct address: as, my dear. Dearly; very tenderly. At a dear rate; at a high price. An exclamation indicating surprise, pity, or other emotion: used absolutely or in connection with oh or me: as, oh dear ! I am so tired; dear me ! where have you been?
The meaning of DEAR is highly valued : precious —often used in a salutation. How to use dear in a sentence.
DEAR definition: 1. loved or liked very much: 2. used at the beginning of a letter to greet the person you are…. Learn more.
Used as a polite exclamation, chiefly of surprise or distress: oh dear; dear me. [Middle English dere, from Old English dēore.]
Dear definition: Highly esteemed or regarded. Used in direct address, especially in salutations.
From Middle English dere, from Old English dīere (“of great value or excellence, expensive, beloved”), from Proto-West Germanic *diurī, from Proto-Germanic *diurijaz (“dear, precious, expensive”).
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 in conventional forms of address preceding a title or name, as in Dear Sir or my dear Mr Smith (postpositive) followed by to: important; close: a wish dear to her heart
You use dear to describe someone or something that you feel affection for. Mrs Cavendish is a dear friend of mine. At last I am back at my dear little desk. If something is dear to you or dear to your heart, you care deeply about it. His family life was very dear to him.