dearly

adverb

dear·​ly ˈdir-lē How to pronounce dearly (audio)
1
: with affection : fondly
2
: heartily, earnestly
prayed so dearly for peace
3
: at a high rate or price
paid dearly for the error

Examples of dearly in a Sentence

I would dearly love to see them again. He dearly wanted to believe that it was true.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
But many others have imploded, costing investors who rushed in during the initial boom dearly. Matt Egan, CNN Money, 15 Dec. 2025 Created by hand, often by someone who loves you dearly, a needlepoint stocking requires hours and hours of work to complete. Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 23 Nov. 2025 And now, all of us who loved him so dearly say to him, 'Goodnight, sweet dad. Greta Bjornson, PEOPLE, 20 Nov. 2025 Most of all, Robert loved this business dearly. Michael Schneider, Variety, 20 Nov. 2025 See All Example Sentences for dearly

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of dearly was in the 13th century

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Cite this Entry

“Dearly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dearly. Accessed 28 Dec. 2025.

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