Adjective dear has 4 senses
- beloved, darling, dear - dearly loved
Antonym: unloved (indirect, via loved)
- dear, good, near - with or in a close or intimate relationship; "a good friend"; "my sisters and brothers are near and dear"
Antonym: distant (indirect, via close)
- dear, devout, earnest, heartfelt - earnest; "one's dearest wish"; "devout wishes for their success"; "heartfelt condolences"
Antonym: insincere (indirect, via sincere)
- costly, dear, high-priced, pricey, pricy - having a high price; "costly jewelry"; "high-priced merchandise"; "much too dear for my pocketbook"; "a pricey restaurant"
Antonyms: cheap, inexpensive (indirect, via expensive)
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Adverbial dear has 2 senses
- dearly, affectionately, dear - with affection; "she loved him dearly"; "he treats her affectionately"
- dearly, dear - at a great cost; "he paid dearly for the food"; "this cost him dear"
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Noun dear has 2 senses
- beloved, dear, dearest, loved one, honey, love - a beloved person; used as terms of endearment
--1 is a kind of lover
- lamb, dear - a sweet innocent mild-mannered person (especially a child)
--2 is a kind of innocent, inexperienced person
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