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.
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?