Dear
[dɪə] or [dɪr]
Definition
(adj.) with or in a close or intimate relationship; 'a good friend'; 'my sisters and brothers are near and dear' .
(adj.) earnest; 'one's dearest wish'; 'devout wishes for their success'; 'heartfelt condolences' .
Editor: Priscilla--From WordNet
Definition
(superl.) Bearing a high price; high-priced; costly; expensive.
(superl.) Marked by scarcity or dearth, and exorbitance of price; as, a dear year.
(superl.) Highly valued; greatly beloved; cherished; precious.
(superl.) Hence, close to the heart; heartfelt; present in mind; engaging the attention.
(superl.) Of agreeable things and interests.
(superl.) Of disagreeable things and antipathies.
(n.) A dear one; lover; sweetheart.
(adv.) Dearly; at a high price.
(v. t.) To endear.
Typist: Rowland
Synonyms and Synonymous
a. [1]. Costly, expensive, high-priced, at a high price, of great price.[2]. Precious, beloved, darling, much loved, highly esteemed or valued.
n. Darling.
Editor: Lora
Synonyms and Antonyms
SYN:High-priced, costly, expensive, beloved, precious, loved
ANT:Cheap, inexpensive, misliked, vile
Checker: Nicole
Definition
adj. high in price: costly: scarce: highly valued: beloved: (Shak.) earnest inmost.—n. one who is dear or beloved.—adv. at a high price.—adj. Dear′-bought.—n. Dear′ling (Spens.) a darling.—adj. Dear′-loved.—adv. Dear′ly.—ns. Dear′ness; Dear′y one who is dear.
interj. indicating surprise pity or other emotion as in 'Oh dear!' 'Dear me!' 'Dear dear!'—prob. elliptical in 'Dear help us!' &c.
Typist: Martha
Examples
- But thy rest agen to-morrow's work, my dear. Charles Dickens. Hard Times.
- Dear Mr. Traddles and dear Trotwood, papa once free with honour, what could I wish for! Charles Dickens. David Copperfield.
- I don't see why you shouldn't like me to know that you wished to do me a service, my dear fellow. George Eliot. Middlemarch.
- May I say, at parting, that it is the dear object of MY hopes too? Wilkie Collins. The Woman in White.
- Why, my dear lad, I am even now courting the Nine, and turning Aristophanes into good English verse. Fergus Hume. The Island of Fantasy.
- Give my love to your aunt, George dear, and implore her not to curse the viper that has crossed your path and blighted your existence. Charles Dickens. Our Mutual Friend.
- Dear, no, sir! Charles Dickens. Hard Times.
- Is it safe now, dearest mother? Charles Dickens. Bleak House.
- Such I was, from eight to eight and twenty; and such I might still have been but for you, dearest, loveliest Elizabeth! Jane Austen. Pride and Prejudice.
- Good-bye, dearest Pa. Charles Dickens. Our Mutual Friend.
- This present moment, short as it is, is a part of eternity, and the dearest part, since it is our own unalienably. Mary Shelley. The Last Man.
- You never call me your dearest pupil! Charlotte Bronte. Shirley.
- My dearest Harriet! Jane Austen. Emma.
- I wish you could know Mr. Clayton; he is the dearest fellow imaginable, and unless I am mistaken he has fallen very much in love with me. Edgar Rice Burroughs. Tarzan of the Apes.
- Provisions are thereby rendered dearer, in the same manner as if it required extraordinary labour and expense to raise them. Adam Smith. An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations.
- Would it come dearer? Charles Dickens. Our Mutual Friend.
- They paid so much dearer for the bills which their bankers granted them upon those countries. Adam Smith. An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations.
- A dearer one belongs to you, Perdita, mother of his child. Mary Shelley. The Last Man.
- One side or the other had to yield principles they deemed dearer than life before it could be brought to an end. Ulysses S. Grant. Personal Memoirs of U. S. Grant.
- Previously wines had been preserved by the addition of alcohol, which made them both dearer and more detrimental to health. Walter Libby. An Introduction to the History of Science.
- My own boy never could be dearer. Charles Dickens. David Copperfield.
- I've always longed for lots of boys, and never had enough, now I can fill the house full and revel in the little dears to my heart's content. Louisa May Alcott. Little Women.
- With this boy, properly managed, my dears, I could do what I couldn't with twenty of them. Charles Dickens. Oliver Twist.
- Good night, my dears. Charles Dickens. Bleak House.
- My dears, though still young, I have had many opportunities of observing young men. Charles Dickens. Bleak House.
- And yet I am very much of the opinion, my dears, that he has not chosen his profession advisedly. Charles Dickens. Bleak House.
- The fine house, my good dears, has got inside it a fine family. Wilkie Collins. The Woman in White.
- Bless you both, my dears, and don't quarrel, said Mrs. Vincy, with motherly cordiality. George Eliot. Middlemarch.
Checked by Gwen