dear 1 of 2

adjective

ˈdir How to pronounce dear (audio)
Definition of dearnext
1
as in valuable
commanding a large price caviar has always been among the dearest of foods

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in beloved
granted special treatment or attention spared no expense when caring for and feeding her dear little dog

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in adorable
having qualities that tend to make one loved a dear friend that I would do anything for

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

dear

2 of 2

noun

as in darling
a person with whom one is in love I love you, dear

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of dear
Adjective
The ink also includes the initials of someone dear to his heart, his late grandmother, Joan Merritt. — Joe Davidson, Sacbee.com, 24 Sep. 2026 Monster depicts Lizzie keeping a great number of doves as her dear pets, housing them in an elaborate coop out back. — Elisabeth Garber-Paul, Rolling Stone, 23 Sep. 2026
Noun
Early on, Leonardo Spinazzola made a mistake similar to the one Billy Gilmour committed last week, one that cost Napoli dear against Torino. — James Horncastle, New York Times, 28 Oct. 2025 Decked out for the holidays While the angel ornaments sit in a glass case, Donna holds two ornaments on the dining room Christmas tree dear. — Lennie Omalza, The Courier-Journal, 14 Nov. 2024 See All Example Sentences for dear
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dear
  1. valuable
  2. beloved
  3. adorable
  4. darling
  5. expensive
  6. loved
  7. sweet
  8. sweetheart
Adjective
  • Regional authorities said that the entire caper was conducted within three minutes and that the thieves targeted the most valuable paintings in the museum, which occupies the French old master’s one-time residence.
    — News Desk, Artforum, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Bassetti argued that the company’s scale represented an increasingly valuable asset for streamers.
    — Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of valuable
Adjective
  • The beloved Southern breakfast chain is known for staying open 24/7, even through severe weather.
    — Erika Angulo, NBC news, 11 Oct. 2026
  • The beloved Southern breakfast chain is known for staying open through severe weather and often is a measuring stick of a storm's severity.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of beloved
Adjective
  • That happened just a few weeks after Meta Connect, at which the company was all in on Muse, their agent platform with an adorable mascot.
    — Nilay Patel, The Verge, 8 Oct. 2026
  • In their spare time, these scientists listen to house music, train for marathons, and hang out with the adorable 2026 class of Wunderkind pets.
    — Theresa Gaffney, STAT, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of adorable
Noun
  • Very often, my darling husband Steven will quietly deliver a sandwich to my desk.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Our favorite dress picks have a variety of styles and versatile features, like darling ruffles, cinching waistlines, and trending silhouettes.
    — Stephanie Osmanski, Better Homes & Gardens, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of darling
Adjective
  • His proficiency, buoyed by his expensive taste and skill in daisy-chaining images together, got his foot in the door of the indie-rap revitalization.
    — Matthew Ritchie, Pitchfork, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Without more batteries, Illinois will be even more reliant on dirty, expensive electricity imports from other states and more likely to delay the natural gas power plant closures it’s planned for years to clean the air.
    — John Lippert, Chicago Tribune, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of expensive
Adjective
  • Friends and loved ones are mourning the man who fell to his death Monday while riding a roller coaster at Six Flags Over Georgia.
    — Sarah Lynch Baldwin, CBS News, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Win or lose, a candidate’s campaign will consume their life and their loved ones’; a victory guarantees their life will change forever.
    — Ben Smith, semafor.com, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of loved
Adjective
  • And captured the juiciness of ripe strawberries, snapping the fruit into sweet focus in a pint of strawberry and passion fruit ice cream.
    — Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Also milder, sweeter and less earthy than red beets, so make sure the red beet-haters give them a taste.
    — Amy Drew Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of sweet
Noun
  • The Pittsburgh native turned the page on his high school sweetheart Nomi Leasure and entered new dating territory, a relationship with Ariana Grande, which started to percolate in early 2016.
    — Michael Saponara, Billboard, 13 Oct. 2026
  • He was beloved by his teammates and married his high-school sweetheart.
    — Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 11 Oct. 2026
Definition of sweetheart

Browse Nearby Words

deanships
dear
dears
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Dear.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dear. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of zenith

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 16
See More

Popular

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All