dearly

adverb

dear·​ly ˈdir-lē 

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

Say, package a second-round pick with the dearly departing Tua Tagovailoa’s contract to free up money. —Dave Hyde, Sun Sentinel, 7 Mar. 2026

Vegas made the wrong call in net and are paying the price dearly, with what projects to be the 26th best goaltending in the league. —Dom Luszczyszyn, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2026

Only hours into the conflict, an errant strike on the Shajareh Tayyebeh girls’ school in southern Iran served as a gut-wrenching reminder of the cost of such illusions, and a testament to the grim truth that those who pay most dearly for the fog of war are almost always the innocent. —Karim Sadjadpour, The Atlantic, 4 Mar. 2026

Elicker said the steady grind of inflation has cost New Haven schools and taxpayers dearly. —Theo Peck-Suzuki, Hartford Courant, 18 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing dearly

• cost (someone) dearly/dear
• pay dearly

Rhymes for dearly

• clearly
• merely
• nearly
• queerly
• yearly
• austerely
• severely
• sincerely
• cavalierly