dear — OET · Shobdo

dear

adjective

1 my dear sister was talking about you only today | he is a dear friend:

beloved, loved, much loved, darling, adored, cherished, precious;

esteemed, respected, worshipped;

close, intimate, confidential, bosom, boon, favourite, best.

▷antonyms hated.

2 her belongings were too dear to entrust to sea transport:

precious, treasured, valued, prized, cherished, special, favourite, favoured.

3 your father was such a dear man:

endearing, adorable, lovable, appealing, engaging, charming, enchanting, captivating, winsome, winning, attractive, lovely, nice, pleasant, delightful, angelic, sweet, darling;

North American cunning;

Italian, & Spanish simpatico;

French sympathique;

German sympatisch;

informal adorbs;

dated taking.

▷antonyms disagreeable.

4 the dining car served rather dear meals:

expensive, costly, high-cost, high-priced, highly priced, big-budget, overpriced, exorbitant, extortionate;

immoderate, extravagant, lavish, valuable;

British upmarket, over the odds;

informal pricey, steep, stiff.

▷antonyms inexpensive.

noun

1 there's no need to worry, my dear:

darling, dearest, love, beloved, loved one, sweetheart, sweet, precious, treasure;

in Spanish-speaking regions querida;

informal sweetie, sugar, honey, baby, babe, bae, pet, sunshine, poppet;

archaic sweeting.

2 Philip's such a dear:

lovable person, adorable person, endearing person;

darling, sweetheart, pet, angel, gem, treasure;

informal star.

adverb

they buy property cheaply and sell dear:

at a high price, at an excessive price, at an exorbitant price, at high cost, at great cost.

dear Oxford Dictionary of English