Dear

Definition: Dear

Dear

Adjective

1. Dearly loved.

2. With or in a close or intimate relationship; "a good friend"; "my sisters and brothers are near and dear".

3. Earnest; "one's dearest wish"; "devout wishes for their success"; "heartfelt condolences".

4. Having a high price; "costly jewelry"; "high-priced merchandise"; "much too dear for my pocketbook"; "a pricey restaurant".

Adverb

1. With affection; "she loved him dearly"; "he treats her affectionately".

2. At a great cost; "he paid dearly for the food"; "this cost him dear".

Noun

1. A beloved person; used as terms of endearment.

2. A sweet innocent mild-mannered person (especially a child).

Date "dear" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1010. (references)

Note: Dear \Dear\, adjective. [Comparative Dearer; superlative Dearest.]. (references)

Domain	Definition
Literature	Dear Oh, dear me! Regarded, but without evidence, as a corruption of the Italian O Dio mio!. Source: Brewer's Dictionary.
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Synonyms: Dear

Synonyms: beloved (adj), costly (adj), darling (adj), dear(p) (adj), devout (adj), earnest (adj), good (adj), heartfelt (adj), high-priced (adj), near (adj), pricey (adj), pricy (adj), affectionately (adv), dearly (adv), dearest (n), honey (n), lamb (n), love (n), loved one (n). (additional references)

Context	Synonyms within Context (source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus).
Dearness	Verb: be dear; Adjective: cost much, cost a pretty penny; rise in price, look up.
	Adverb: dear, dearly; at great cost, heavy cost; a grands frais.
	Adjective: dear; high, high priced; of great price, expensive, costly, precious; worth a Jew's eye, dear bought.
	Pay too much, pay through the nose, pay too dear for one's whistle, pay top dollar.
Favorite	Love, dear, darling, duck, duckey, honey, sugar, jewel; mopsey, moppet, princess; sweetheart, sweetie; (love).
Inexpedience	Verb: be inexpedient; Adjective:; come amiss; (disagree); embarrass; (hinder); put to inconvenience; pay too dear for one's whistle.
	Admirable, estimable; praiseworthy; (approve); pleasing; couleur de rose, precious, of great price; costly; (dear); worth its weight in gold, worth a Jew's eye; priceless, invaluable, inestimable, precious as the apple of the eye.
Inutility	Worthless, valueless, priceless; unsalable; not worth a straw; (trifling) dear at any price.
Lamentation	Interjection: heigh-ho! alas! alack! O dear! ah me! woe is me! lackadaisy! well a day! lack a day! alack a day! wellaway! alas the day! O tempora O mores! what a pity! miserabile dictu! O lud lud! too true!
Love	Verb: love, like, affect, fancy, care for, take an interest in, be partial to, sympathize with; affection; be in love; with Adjective: have a love; n. for, entertain a love; n. for, harbor cherish a love; n. for; regard, revere; take to, bear love to, be wedded to; set one's affections on; make much of, feast one's eyes on; hold dear, prize; hug, cling to, cherish, pet.
	Loved; Verb: beloved well beloved, dearly beloved; dear, precious, darling, pet, little; favorite, popular.
	In one's good graces; (friendly); dear as the apple of one's eye, nearest to one's heart.
Pity	Interjection: for pity's sake! mercy! have mercy! cry you mercy! God help you! poor thing! poor dear! poor fellow! woe betide! " quis talia fando temperet a lachrymiss! ".
Unskillfulness	Not know what one is about, not know one's own interest, not know on which side one's bread is buttered; stand in one's own light, quarrel with one's bread and butter, throw a stone in one's own garden, kill the goose which lays the golden eggs, pay dear for one's whistle, cut one's own throat, bum one's fingers; knock one's head against a stone wall, beat one's head against a stone wall; fall into a trap, catch a Tartar, bring the house about one's ears; have too many eggs in one basket (imprudent), have too many irons in the fire.
Wonder	Interjection: lo, lo and behold! O! heyday! halloo! what! indeed! really! surely! humph! hem! good lack, good heavens, gad so! welladay! dear me! only think! lackadaisy! my stars, my goodness! gracious goodness! goodness gracious! mercy on us! heavens and earth! God bless me! bless us, bless my heart! odzookens! O gemini! adzooks! hoity-toity! strong! Heaven save the mark, bless the mark! can such things be! zounds! 'sdeath! what on earth, what in the world! who would have thought it!; (inexpectation); you don't say so! You're kidding!. No kidding? what do you say to that! nous verrons! how now! where am I?
Source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus.

Domain	Usage
Screenplays	Be sure to take could care of it, dear! (Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi; writing credit: Cindy Davis Hewitt; Donald H. Hewitt) The stage is the other way dear! (A Bug's Life; writing credit: John Lasseter; Andrew Stanton) I think he's dead my dear. (Die Hard: With a Vengeance; writing credit: Jonathan Hensleigh) That is not a waiter, my dear, that is a butler (All About Eve; writing credit: Joseph L. Mankiewicz) Dear step daughter You look as if you've seen a ghost (Sleepy Hollow; writing credit: Kevin Yagher)
Lyrics	I beg you dear (Lay All Your Love On Me; performing artist: Abba) Did you weep for the children who lost their dear loved ones (Where Were You (When The World Stopped Turning); performing artist: Alan Jackson) Dear matthew I like you a lot I realize you're in a relationship with someone (Unsent; performing artist: Alanis Morissette) I surrender my soul to u, dear (Mishale; performing artist: Andru Donalds) You're doing really well my dear (Walking On Broken Glass; performing artist: Annie Lennox)
Clever	Sherlock Holmes never said "Elementary, my dear Watson. (references; author: unknown) Friendship is a golden chain, the links are friends so dear; and like a rare and precious jewel, it's treasured more each year. (references; author: unknown)
Movie/TV Titles	Dear Joe (1973) Father Dear Father (1968) Good Evening Dear Husband. A Duel (1968) Dear Brigitte (1965) So Dear to My Heart (1949)
Song Titles	Dear Lady Twist (performing artist: Gary "U.S." Bonds) Dear One (performing artist: Larry Finnegan) Dear Boss (Bricks) (performing artist: Robbie with the Clancy Brothers O'Connell) Dear Lie (performing artist: TLC)
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Domain	Title
Books	Dear Zoo: A Lift-The-Flap Book (Dear Zoo) (reference) (more book examples)

Theater & Movies	Dear America - Letters Home from Vietnam (reference) (more DVD examples; more video examples)

Music	Dear Dorothy: The Oz Sessions (reference) Rejoice, Dear Hearts!/Kick Thy Own Self [2 on 1] [LIVE] (reference) (more classical music examples; more popular music examples)

High Tech	Dear America: Friend to Friend (reference) (more camera examples; more video game examples; more computer examples; more electronic examples; more software examples)
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Thumbnail	Description & Credit	Thumbnail	Description & Credit
	My dear judge of noses ... Credit: Library of Congress.		Miss Fairy: Dear me, I must get some new curtains right away!. Credit: Library of Congress.
	Hereafter, dear, I'll be the "expert" on South America. Credit: Library of Congress.		Dear Sir: Your deduction for combat service has been disallowed. Sincerely, IRS. Credit: Library of Congress.
	"An' its me tooth! God bless you doctor dear!". Credit: Library of Congress.		Women at war (Mrs. Smuda). "Dear Mom...." A letter from her youngest son, far away at camp, highlights the day for war worker Eva Smuda. Like son, like mother, they're both giving every bit of energy to help Uncle Sam defeat the Axis. Credit: Library of Congress.
	"A Dear Picture." At Hot Springs, S.D., on F.E. & M.V. Ry. Credit: Library of Congress.		Memory table for dear departed ones. Credit: Library of Congress.
	The heart of Juliet Jones. "Fortunately, a cancelled appointment enabled me to make time for you, my dear". Credit: Library of Congress.		Dear Heinrich, your chaps are alive and well and doing a jolly fine job in the British Army. Credit: Library of Congress.
Source: pictures compiled by the editor from various references; see picture credits.

Author	Quotation
Aristotle	Plato is dear to me, but dearer still is truth.
Henry David Thoreau	All good things are cheap: all bad are very dear.
Homer	A sympathetic friend can be quite as dear as a brother.
Horace Greeley	Wisdom is never dear, provided the article is genuine.
John Donne	Show me, dear Christ, Thy spouse, so bright and clear.
Lord Palmerston	Die, my dear doctor! That's the last thing I shall do!
Oscar Wilde	How clever you are, my dear! You never mean a single word you say.
Thomas Fuller	Compliments cost nothing, yet many pay dear for them.
William Shakespeare	Sweets grown common lose their dear delight.
Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

Author	Date	Quotation
John Locke	1690	To this I reply, The people shall be judge; for who shall be judge whether his trustee or deputy acts well, and according to the trust reposed in him, but he who deputes him, and must, by having deputed him, have still a power to discard him, when he fails in his trust? If this be reasonable in particular cases of private men, why should it be otherwise in that of the greatest moment, where the welfare of millions is concerned, and also where the evil, if not prevented, is greater, and the redress very difficult, dear, and dangerous? (Second Treatise of Government)
Winston S. Churchill	1946	Thus, whatever happens, and thus only, shall we be secure ourselves and able to work together for the high and simple causes that are dear to us and bode no ill to any. ("Iron Curtain" Speech)
Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

Title	Author	Quote
Emma	Austen, Jane	My dear Emma, I am longing to talk to you.
Sylvie and Bruno	Carroll, Lewis	Very good, my dear, very good
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy	Douglas Adams	One of the things Ford Prefect had always found hardest to understand about human beings was their habit of continually stating and repeating the obvious, as in It's a nice day, or You're very tall, or Oh dear you seem to have fallen down a thirty-foot well, are you all right
Les Miserables	Hugo, Victor	The drugs necessary are dear.
Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man	Joyce, James	Take hands together, my dear children, and you will be happy together and your hearts will love each other
King Richard III	Shakespeare, William	O, no, he loves me, and he holds me dear.
Gulliver's Travels	Swift, Jonathan	It is not easy to express the joy I was in upon the unexpected hope of once more seeing my beloved country, and the dear pledges I had left in it.
Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

Subject	Topic	Quote
Health		My poor dear husband didn't stop me very much unless it was too outrageous and then I'd get very angry. (references)
		What are the consequences of failure to recognize and treat depression in elderly people? Many of our senior citizens will live their final years in despair and suffering without any appreciation of their affliction or the understanding and comfort of those most dear to them. Professional help is not often sought or offered, and depression is not likely to be brief. (references)
Travel	Argentina	Hotel rates are particularly dear. (references)
Lexicography	Devil's Dictionary	PIE, n. An advance agent of the reaper whose name is Indigestion. Cold pie was highly esteemed by the remains. Rev. Dr. Mucker (in a funeral sermon over a British nobleman) Cold pie is a detestable American comestible. That's why I'm done -- or undone -- So far from that dear London. (from the headstone of a British nobleman in Kalamazoo)
Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits.

Speaker	Phrase(s)
Brad Silberling	I went the other extreme. For a long time, I always bit my tongue and just thought, oh, I can't become a cliche because I've lost somebody dear to me. But I am cautious. Yeah, you bet. I'm very aware, and I ask that now with my family.
Laura Schlessinger	You know, I'm not going to take up the academic time in school. I wrote this book, I'm on the air, there are counselors like this dear lady calling, there are places to go.
Mattie Stepanek	One day I went into the room of my mother, Ms. Lillian Carter. She was lying down on her bed in her room. I propped my feet up on her bed and I said, Miss Lillian, dear mommy, I want to run for president of the United States of America.
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Speaker	Term	Phrase(s)
John Adams	1797-1801	You and I, my dear friend, have been sent into life at a time when the greatest lawgivers of antiquity would have wished to live.
Andrew Jackson	1829-1837	In supporting it, therefore, we support all that is dear to the freeman and the philanthropist.
Jimmy Carter	1977-1981	The M-X program continues to be an essential ingredient in our strategic posture, providing survivability, endurance, secure command and control and the capability to threaten targets the Soviets hold dear.
Ronald Reagan	1981-1989	Tonight America is stronger because of the values that we hold dear.
Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

"Dear" is generally used as an interjection -- approximately 41.46% of the time. "Dear" is used about 6,949 times out of a sample of 100 million words spoken or written in English. Its rank is based on over 700,000 words used in the English language. Some parts-of-speech are not covered due to the samples used by the British National Corpus. (note: percents less than one-hundredth of one percent have been omitted)

Parts of Speech	Percent	Usage per 100 Million Words	Rank in English
Interjection	41.46%	2,881	3,224
Adjective (general or positive)	39.1%	2,717	3,377
Noun (singular)	18.98%	1,319	6,014
Noun (proper)	0.36%	25	69,787
Adverb (general)	0.1%	7	133,076
Total	100.00%	6,949	N/A

The following table summarizes the usage of "dear" based on a population census conducted in the United States. Ranks and frequencies are based on all names reported and classified.

Name	Usage/Gender	Usage per 100 million Persons	Rank in USA
Dear	Last name	2,000	6,498
Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits.

The following table summarizes names derived from the word "dear".
Name	Gender	Language	Meaning
Davena	N/A	N/A	Dear
Davinia	N/A	N/A	Dear
Dawud	N/A	Arabic	Dear
David	N/A	Biblical	Dear
Daveth	N/A	Cornish	Dear
Dave	N/A	English	Dear
Davey	N/A	English	Dear
Davida	N/A	English	Dear
Davie	N/A	English	Dear
Davina	N/A	English	Dear
Davis	N/A	English	Dear
Davy	N/A	English	Dear
Dawson	N/A	English	Dear
Taavetti	N/A	Finnish	Dear
Taavi	N/A	Finnish	Dear
Dávid	N/A	Hungarian	Dear
Daud	N/A	Indian	Dear
Daithí	N/A	Irish	Dear
Davide	N/A	Italian	Dear
Dovid	N/A	Jewish	Dear
Dudel	N/A	Jewish	Dear
Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

Expressions using "dear": be very dear to all of us ♦ cost dear ♦ dear as the apple of one's eye ♦ dear bought ♦ dear dear! ♦ dear father! ♦ dear friend ♦ dear madam ♦ dear madam! ♦ dear me! ♦ dear money ♦ dear old dad! ♦ dear sir ♦ dear sir! ♦ dear sirs! ♦ for dear life ♦ held dear ♦ hold dear ♦ impossibly dear ♦ my dear chap! ♦ my dear fellow! ♦ my dear ones ♦ o dear ♦ o dear me ♦ pay dear ♦ pay too dear for one's whistle ♦ run for dear life ♦ sell dear ♦ she is a dear ♦ she's a dear ♦ To cost dear ♦ trifling dear at any price ♦ very dear friend of mine. Additional references.
Hyphenated Usage
	Beginning with "dear": dear-achieved, Dear-bought, dear-but, Dear-jeannette-letter, Dear-loved, Dear-ludovico, dear-money, dear-up, dear-was.
	Ending with "dear": see-you-later-dear.
	Containing "dear": my-dear-abberley.
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

The following statistics estimate the number of searches per day across the major English-language search engines as identified by various trade publications. Hyperlinks lead to commercial use of the expression at Amazon.com.

Language		Translations for "dear"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses.
Afrikaans		geag, duur (beloved, costly, expensive, lovely, pricey, valuable). (various references)

Albanian		i dashur (affable, affected, affectionate, amiable, baby, beloved, caring, darling, debonair, fond, friendly, genial, gentle, good, good natured, kind, kindly, love, pleasant, precious, sweetheart, sweetie, Sweeting, sweety, Truelove, Valentine, warm). (various references)

Arabic		محبوب (popular), ‏محبوب (agreeable, beloved, darling, dearest, dearly loved, delightful, desirable, favorite, favourite, likable, likeable, lovable, lovely, lover, lovey, pleasing, popular, well-beloved), ‏غال (ebullient, exclusive, piping hot, scalding), ‏عزيز (beloved, darling, precious), ‏المحبوب (doll, duck, idol, love, poppet, true love), ‏الحبيب (darling, honey, lover, sweet, sweet heart, sweetie, sweety), ‏العزيز (darling, lamb, poppet), ‏بإعزاز (with love), ‏بثمن غالي. (various references)

Bavarian		deia (costly, expensive, pricey). (various references)

Bulgarian		скъпо (dearly, expensively), скъп (costly, expensive, inestimable, precious, pricey, sparing, swanky, sweetheart, swish, well-beloved), мили (honey), мил (agreeable, amiable, benign, comfortable, cute, darling, engaging, genial, good, kind, likable, likeable, lovable, mil, nice, sweet), любим (beloved, darling, favorite, favourite, inamorato, love, lover, mash, paramour, pet, precious, sweet, sweetheart, sweetie, true love, well-beloved), бре (gee, lummy, well), боже (christ), почитаем (esteemed, honorable, honored, honourable, honoured), драг. (various references)

Chinese		親 (closely related, intimate, parent, parents-in-law of one's offspring, relation), 亲爱 (Dearness). (various references)

Czech		milý (agreeable, appealing, bonny, congenial, decent, gratifying, heartthrob, kind, lovable, love, man, nice, own, winning), drahý (beloved, costly, expensive, own, precious, rich). (various references)

Danish		værdifuld (beloved, costly, expensive, lovely, pricey, valuable), kær (beloved, expensive, lovely, valuable), dyr (animal, beast, beloved, costly, expensive, lovely, pricey, valuable). (various references)

Dutch		gezien, geacht. (various references)

Esperanto		multekosta (costly, expensive, pricey), kosta (expensive), kara (expensive, lovely, valuable), estimata. (various references)

Faeroese		dýrur (beloved, expensive, lovely, valuable), kærur (beloved, expensive, lovely, valuable), heiðraður, hávirdur, góður (beloved, expensive, good, lovely, nice, okay, valuable). (various references)

Farsi		پرارزش (Precious), محبوب (Beloved, Chary, Cuddlesome, Darling, Favorite, Lief, Lovable, Popular), کسی راعزیزخطاب کردن , گرامی , گران کردن , عزیز (Chary, Darling, Lief, Pet, Turtledove). (various references)

Finnish		kallis (beloved, expensive, lovely, valuable). (various references)

French		cher. (various references)

Frisian		djur (expensive, valuable), djoer (beloved, costly, expensive, lovely, pricey, valuable), leaf (beloved, expensive, lovely, valuable), kostber (expensive). (various references)

German		liebe (adoration, affection, devotion, Favor, favour, fondness, love, lovemaking, sex), lieb (beloved, brave, cute, dearly, endearing, expensive, kind, kindly, lovely, nice, pleasant, sweet, valuable, valued, welcome), teuer (beloved, costly, dearly, expensive, expensively, extravagant, lovely, pricey, rich, valuable), wert (article of value, beloved, currency, defaultvorgegebene, denomination, deserving, expensive, good, lovely, sign, useful, usefulness, valuable, valuable object, value, virtue, worth, worthiness, worthy), sehr geehrte, lieber (better, preferably, rather, sooner). (various references)

Greek		ακριβόσ (costly, expensive, precious, pricey), ακριβός (costly, expensive), αγαπητόσ (beloved, likable, likeable, pet), αγαπητός. (various references)

Guarani		symi (dear mother). (various references)

Hebrew		יקר (expensive, precious). (various references)

Hungarian		drága (beloved, costly, dearly, expensive, lovely, precious, pricey, sumptuous, valuable), kedves (affable, amiable, beloved, bland, comely, darling, ducky, expensive, friendly, gentle, good-natured, kind, lady love, likable, lovable, loveable, lovely, lover, loving, marrow, mild, nice, paramour, suave, sweet, Valentine, valuable), drágán (dearly). (various references)

Icelandic		dýr (animal, costly, expensive, pricey), sætur (beloved, expensive, lovely, valuable). (various references)

Indonesian		tersayang (beloved, deary), terhormat (esteemed, honorable, honored, respected), sayang (babe, baby, darling, kind, sweetie), mahal (expensive). (various references)

Irish		daor (costly, expensive, lovely, pricey, slave, valuable). (various references)

Italian		caro (beloved, charming, costly, darling, expensive, high, lovely, nice, pricey, valuable), costoso (beloved, costly, exclusive, expensive, high, lovely, pricey, valuable). (various references)

Japanese Kanji		貴方 (you), 親愛 (beloved, deep affection), 慕わしい (beloved), 懐かしい　, 懐かしい (desired, missed), 恋しい (beloved, darling, yearned for), 拝啓 , 愛しい (beloved, darling, lovely), 可愛い (charming, cute, darling, lovely, pet, pretty). (various references)

Japanese Katakana		したわしい (beloved), なつかしい (desired, missed), きほう (bladder, brunt, bubble, notation, previous report, vesicle, you), しんあい (beloved, deep affection, intimacy, love and believe in), かわいい (charming, cute, darling, lovely, pet, pretty), かわゆい (charming, cute, darling, lovely, pet, pretty), いとしい (beloved, darling, lovely), こいしい (beloved, darling, yearned for), あなた (lady, that, the other, the other side, there, yonder, you), はいけい (background, circumstance, scenery, setting). (various references)

Korean		귀중한. (various references)

Luganda		mwattu (please). (various references)

Malay		mahal (beloved, costly, expensive, lovely, pricey, valuable). (various references)

Manx		meen (bland, darling, patient, pet, quiet, sweet), ennoil (endearing, loved, popular, precious), deyr (costly, expensive, serf, unfree, valuable). (various references)

Norwegian		kostbar (beloved, costly, expencive, expensive, lovely, pricey, valuable), dyr (animal, beast, beloved, costly, expencive, expensive, lovely, pricey, valuable). (various references)

Papiamen		stimá (beloved, expensive, lovely, valuable), kostoso (costly, expensive, pricey), karu (beloved, expensive, lovely, valuable), karo (beloved, expensive, lovely, valuable), estimado, apreciado. (various references)

Pig Latin		earday.(various references)

Polish		drogi (beloved, costly, expensive, lovely, pricey, valuable), szanowny, szanowany, kosztowny (costly, expensive, pricey). (various references)

Portuguese		querido (beloved, cherished, darling, duck, ducky, honey, inamorato, lovely, pet, sweeting, wanted), caro (costly, expensive, lovely, pricey, rich, valuable). (various references)

Quechua		munasqay (my dear), mamitay (my dear mother), mamáy (my dear mother). (various references)

Romanian		scump (beloved, costly, dearly, expensive, high, lovely, miserly, own, precious, pricey, valuable), drag (affection, beloved, cherished, darling, expensive, favorite, favourite, honey, love, lovely, pet, precious, sake, shine, valuable). (various references)

Russian		дорогой (big-ticket, costly, darling, deary, deluxe, expensive, lovely, precious, pricey, valuable). (various references)

Scottish		daor (costly, enslaved), dìleas (beloved, faithful, related to), muileach, ionmhuinn (beloved). (various references)

Serbo-Croatian		draga osoba, drag (darling, disarming, nice, precious), skupo (dearly). (various references)

Spanish		caro (beloved, costly, dearly, expensive, lovely, pricey, valuable), querido (beloved, best, cherished, darling, deary, desire, inamorato, love, loved one, lover, my dear, precious, sweetheart, Sweeting, used to, well-beloved), estimado (admired, esteem, esteemed, grandsire, popular, respected). (various references)

Swahili		ghali (beloved, costly, expensive, lovely, pricey, valuable). (various references)

Swedish		kär (beloved, expensive, in love, lovely, valuable), dyr (beloved, costly, expensive, lovely, pricey, valuable), rar (beloved, cute, expensive, lovely, nice, rar, rare, valuable). (various references)

Tagalog		mahál (beloved, expensive, lovely, valuable). (various references)

Thai		ทำให้มีค่าน้อยมาก (hold cheap, hold dear). (various references)

Turkish		değerli (costly, deserving, dignified, estimable, meritorious, precious, rich, Valent, valuable, valued, well-beloved, worthy), deme (come, ho, I declare, no), pahalıya (dearly), canım (darling, dearling, honey, honeybun, honeybunch, my precious, sweetheart, sweetie, sweety), hay allah (botheration, doggone, gosh, hey, holy cow, I will be damned, my gosh, oh my god, son of a gun), içtenlikle (cordially, dearly, faithfully, heartily, truly), aziz (August, ducky, glorious, mighty, precious, Reverend, Saint, saintly, st, st.), pahalı (costly, expensive, high priced, precious, pricey, pricy, rich, sumptuous), yazık (alack, alas, it's a pity, pity, shame, what a pity), samimi olarak (cordially, faithfully, frankly, man to man), sevgili (beau, beloved, concubine, darling, dearie, deary, dove, doxy, duck, duckie, ducky, fancy man, favorite, favourite, feller, fellow, flame, gallant, Gill, girl, inamorata, inamorato, Jill, ladylove, love, loved, lover, paramour, pet, precious, queen, steady, sweetheart, sweetie, sweety, Truelove, well-beloved), sevilen şey, sevilen kimse, sevimli kimse, tatlı kimse, kıymetli (pet, precious, valuable, valued). (various references)

Turkmen		mдhriban, eziz. (various references)

Ukrainian		серденько (deary, pippin), краса (amenities, beauty, delight, handsomeness, queen), вельмишановний (excellent), ніжно (affectionately, dearly, fondly, lovingly, soft), милий (agreeable, darling, decent, nice, pretty), люб'язний (accommodating, affable, amiable, attentive, complaisant, courteous, good, kind, nice, obliging, polite), любий (beloved, chary, darling, honey, lovable, own, precious, pretty), палко (ardently, dearly, fervently, hot), душка, дорого (dearly, high), дорогий (chary, costly, darling, own, precious). (various references)

Vietnamese		yêu quý kính thưa (dearly), vật đáng yêu (dearly), vật đáng quý (dearly), thân yêu (darling, dearly), thân mến (dearly), thân (close, dearly), người thân mến (dearly), người đáng quý (dearly), chân tình yêu mến ai (dearly), đáng mến thiết tha (dearly). (various references)

Welsh		annwyl (beloved, expensive, valuable). (various references)

Yucatec		ko'oh (beloved, costly, expensive, lovely, pricey, valuable). (various references)

Zulu		-bizayo (beloved, costly, expensive, lovely, pricey, valuable). (various references)
Source: compiled by the editor from various translation references.

Language	Period	Translations
Latin	500 BCE-Modern	carus. (various references)
Avestan	200-600	berexdhãm. (various references)
Old English	450-1100	deore, leof. (various references)
Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

Language	Date	Source	Luke Chapter 7, Verse 2
Greek (transliterated)	250 BC	Septuagint	Ekatontarcou de tinoV douloV kakwV ecwn hmellen teleutan oV hn autw entimoV
Latin	405	Vulgate	Centurionis autem cuiusdam servus male habens erat moriturus qui illi erat pretiosus
Old English	990	West Saxon	þa wæs sumes hundredmannes þeowa untrum. se wæs sweltendlic: se wæs him dyre;
Middle English	1395	Wyclif	But a seruaunt of a centurien, that was precious to hym, was sijk, and drawynge to the deeth.
Renaissance English	1526	Tyndale	And a certayne Centurions seruaunte was sicke and redy to dye whom he made moche of.
Jacobean English	1611	King James	And a certain centurion's servant, who was dear unto him, was sick, and ready to die.
Victorian English	1833	Webster	And a certain centurion's servant, who was dear to him, was sick, and ready to die.
Basic English	1964	Ogden	And a certain captain had a servant who was very dear to him; this servant was ill and near to death.
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Language	Luke Chapter 7, Verse 2
Cebuano	Ug didtoy usa ka kapitan nga may ulipon nga iyang minahal, nga nagmasakit ug nagpinal.
Croatian	Nekomu satniku bijaše bolestan sluga, samo što ne izdahnu, a bijaše mu veoma drag.
Danish	Men en Høvedsmands Tjener, som denne holdt meget af, var syg og nær ved at dø.
Dutch	En een dienstknecht van een zeker hoofdman over honderd, die hem zeer waard was, krank zijnde, lag op zijn sterven.
Finnish	Ja eräällä sadanpäämiehellä oli palvelija, joka sairasti ja oli kuolemaisillaan ja jota hän piti suuressa arvossa.
French	Un centenier avait un serviteur auquel il était très attaché, et qui se trouvait malade, sur le point de mourir.
German	Und eines Hauptmanns Knecht lag todkrank, den er wert hielt.
Haitian Creole	Nan lavil sa a, yon kaptenn lame a te gen yon domestik li te renmen anpil. Domestik sa a te twouve l' malad prèt pou mouri.
Indonesian-Bahasa Sehari-hari	Di situ ada perwira Roma yang mempunyai hamba yang sangat dikasihinya. Hamba itu sakit dan hampir mati.
Indonesian-Terjemahan Lama	Maka adalah seorang hamba penghulu laskar, yang amat disayangi oleh tuannya, sakit payah hampir mati.
Italian	Il servo di un centurione era ammalato e stava per morire. Il centurione l'aveva molto caro.
Manx Gaelic	As va centurion dy row va fer-mooinjerey echey, v'eh dy mooar soiaghey jeh, as v'eh ching, as raad y vaaish.
Maori	Na e mate ana te pononga a tetahi keneturio, meake marere, ko tana hoki i matenui ai.
Norwegian	Og en høvedsmann hadde en tjener som var syk og nær ved å dø, og han var ham meget kjær.
Portuguese	E um servo de certo centurião, de quem era muito estimado, estava doente, quase à morte.
Rumanian	Un sutaw avea un rob la care yinea foarte mult, wi care era bolnav pe moarte.
Russian	х ПДОПЗП УПФОЙЛБ УМХЗБ, ЛПФПТЩН ПО ДПТПЦЙМ, ВЩМ ВПМЕО РТЙ УНЕТФЙ.
Shuar	Nui Rúmanmaya suntara Kapitiántri pujumiayi. Nu Kapitiáni takarniuri, ti aneamuri, jakamnia jaamiayi.
Swahili	Huko kulikuwa na jemadari mmoja Mroma ambaye alikuwa na mtumishi wake aliyempenda sana. Huyu mtumishi alikuwa mgonjwa karibu kufa.
Swedish	Men där var en hövitsman som hade en tjänare, vilken låg sjuk och var nära döden; och denne var högt skattad av honom.
Uma	Hi ngata toe, ria hadua tadulako tantara to Roma, ria-ki batua-na to napoka'ahi' lia. Batua-na toei peda' danca, neo' mate.
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Derivations
	Words beginning with "dear": dearer, dearest, dearie, dearies, dearly, dearness, dearnesses, dears, dearth, dearths, deary. (additional references)
	Words ending with "dear": endear, overdear, redear. (additional references)
	Words containing "dear": endeared, endearing, endearingly, endearment, endearments, endears, redears, sidearm, unendearing. (additional references)
Misspellings
	"Dear" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: daar, dadar, daer, dair, dalar, dar, dara, darq, darv, daur, davar, dea, Deac, deaer, deah, deair, deak, Deap, deari, Dearl, deart, deat, deau, deav, deaz, decarp, Decr, Dedari, deeah, deery, Degarmo, degr, deir, dejar, denar, deor, deorc, deorn, depar, depare, der, dera, Derab, derat, derp, Derx, deur, Devar, devark, Devro, Dewart, dgar, Dhar, Diar, diarn, dira, Diur, Djer, dpar, drae, duar, Ducar, duir, dutar, dwar, dyar, eda, edae, edap, edar, edax, edir, edor, edr, edra, idear, oear. (additional references)
Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references).

# of Phoneme Matches	Pronunciation	Word(s) rhyming with "dear" (pronounced di"r)
3	d i" r	belvedere, bombardier, Brigadier, commandeer, deer.
2	-i" r	adhere, Amir, appear, auctioneer, austere, bandolier, beer, bioengineer, budgeteer, career, cashier, cavalier, chandelier, cheer, Chevalier, clear, conventioneer, disappear, domineer, ear, electioneer, emir, engineer, fear, financier, fleer, Frere, frontier, gear, gondolier, hear, here, insincere, interfere, jeer, Kier, Lear, marketeer, mere, mir, mutineer, near, overhear, pamphleteer, peer, persevere, pier, pioneer, premier, premiere, profiteer, queer, Racketeer, Rainier, reappear, rear, reengineer, rehear, revere, sear, sere, severe, shear, sheer, sincere, smear, sneer, souvenir, spear, Speer, speir, sphere, steer, summiteer, unclear, veer, veneer, volunteer, year, Zaire.
Source: compiled by the editor (additional references); see credits.

Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams
	Direct Anagrams: dare, read.
	Words within the letters "a-d-e-r"
	-1 letter: are, ear, era, rad, red.
	-2 letters: ad, ae, ar, de, ed, er, re.
	Words containing the letters "a-d-e-r"
	+1 letter: acred, adder, adore, aider, aired, alder, arced, ardeb, armed, barde, bared, beard, bread, cadre, cared, cedar, dared, darer, dares, dater, deair, dears, deary, debar, denar, derat, deray, derma, dewar, drake, drape, drave, dread, dream, drear, eared, fader, fared, grade, hared, heard, irade, lader, madre, oared, oread, padre, pared, raced, raged, raked, raped, rared, rased, rated, raved, raxed, rayed, razed, readd, reads, ready, redan, redia, tared, trade, tread, wader, wared.
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro.

Expression	Frequency per Day	Expression	Frequency per Day
dear abby	3,592	baby dear	31
dear prudence	198	dear jesus mr	31
dear penis	187	dear henshaw mr	29
yes dear	153	dear jane	29
dear prudie	146	dear slim	26
dear	137	dear annie	26
dear diary	127	dear ivan	26
dear abbey	124	dear ann landers	25
claudia dear	101	abby.com dear	24
dear mama	98	dear momma	21
claudia dear lyrics	73	anime boy dear	21
john dear	56	dear america book	20
dear god	51	dear heloise	20
dear john letter	51	dear jane quilt	19
dear america	47	dear tick	19
daughter dear dear mother people poem young	46	abby advice column dear	17
dear abby column	41	ben dear jennifer lopez lyrics	17
dear raed	38	to my dear and loving husband	17
dear boy	36	dear friend	15
dear lyrics mama	32	claudia dear fm south	15
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.


"My dear room-mate" by Andrea Bianchi Commentary: "Holliday in Öland (Sweden). My friend Roberto shocked by camping-terror atmosphere..."	"Dear Deer" by James Stephen Windsor Commentary: "A deer i saw in a town i visited nr. brum. Couldn't resist it."
Source: photographs selected by the editor, with permission from the photographers.

Dear

Definition: Dear

Dear

Adjective

Adverb

Noun

Specialty Definition: Dear

Synonyms: Dear

Synonyms within Context: Dear

Dearness

Favorite

Inexpedience

Inutility

Lamentation

Love

Pity

Unskillfulness

Wonder

Crosswords: Dear

Modern Usage: Dear

Screenplays

Lyrics

Clever

Movie/TV Titles

Song Titles

Commercial Usage: Dear

Books

Theater & Movies

Music

High Tech

Image Slideshow: Dear

Photos:Dear

Illustrations:Dear

Computer Images:Dear

Photo Album: Dear

Digital Photo Gallery: Dear

Familiar Quotations: Dear

Aristotle

Henry David Thoreau

Homer

Horace Greeley

John Donne

Lord Palmerston

Oscar Wilde

Thomas Fuller

William Shakespeare

Historic Usage: Dear

John Locke

Winston S. Churchill

Use in Literature: Dear

Emma

Austen, Jane

Sylvie and Bruno

Carroll, Lewis

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Douglas Adams

Les Miserables

Hugo, Victor

Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man

Joyce, James

King Richard III

Shakespeare, William

Gulliver's Travels

Swift, Jonathan

Non-Fiction Usage: Dear

Lexicography

Devil's Dictionary

Spoken Usage: Dear

Brad Silberling

Laura Schlessinger

Mattie Stepanek

Speeches: Dear

John Adams

Andrew Jackson

Jimmy Carter

Ronald Reagan

Usage Frequency: Dear

Name Usage Frequency: Dear

Derived & Related Names: Dear

Expressions: Dear

Photos:
Dear

Illustrations:
Dear

Computer Images:
Dear