What does dear mean?
Dear is one of the most versatile words of affection in English. As an adjective it means greatly loved or cherished, as in a dear friend, and it also serves as a conventional opener in correspondence, as in Dear Sir or Dear Maria. As a noun it refers to a person who is loved, often used directly in address: Come here, my dear. In British English, dear can additionally mean expensive. The word carries warm, tender connotations, though using it to address strangers can strike some listeners as overly familiar. It appears constantly in letters, greetings, endearments, and exclamations such as oh dear, which express mild dismay. Its long history and everyday warmth make it both a practical and an emotionally resonant part of the language.
Loved or cherished; regarded with deep affection.
"He kept his dear old dog close till the very end."
A person who is much loved; a term of affectionate address.
"What a dear you are for helping me move!"
An exclamation expressing surprise, dismay, or sympathy, usually as oh dear.
"Oh dear, the train has already left."
Rarely used; more common in affectionate plural address such as "my dears".
"Goodbye, my dears — write to me soon."
The same little word that opens millions of letters — "Dear Sir" — and the animal in "deer" were once the very same sound in English.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of dear
Dear comes from Old English dēore, meaning precious or costly, and ultimately from Germanic roots shared by Dutch duur and German teuer, which still mean expensive. Over the centuries its sense shifted from high price toward high emotional value, so that what was once merely costly became cherished. Its cousin deer once meant simply any animal, and the two words diverged in spelling only later.
Related word forms
How dear is actually used
As a form of address, "dear" can sound warm in some regions but condescending or overfamiliar in others, especially from a stranger. The sense meaning "expensive" is chiefly British and informal.
Easily confused with dear
"Deer" is the animal; "dear" expresses affection or is used as an address.