✨📕 The NEWThe NEW Collegiate Dictionary, 12th Edition Over 5,000 words added — Buy Now! Collegiate DictionaryBuy Now!

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.
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 Loud And Live took over the space in 2023, picking up where dearly departed Santa’s Enchanted Forest left off (another story altogether). Miami Herald, 14 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

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Dearly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dearly. Accessed 8 Dec. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on dearly

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!