The Oxford Thesaurus An A-Z Dictionary of Synonyms - dearadj.

1) beloved, loved, adored, darling, precious, cherished, prized, valued, treasured, favoured, favourite, pet, esteemed, admired, venerated, honoured: He was my nearest and dearest friend. 2) expensive, costly, high-priced, highly priced, Colloq pricey: Tomatoes are much too dear at this time of the year. --n. 3) darling, sweetheart, beloved, love, true-love, sweet, honey, precious, pet, favourite, treasure, precious, Colloq sweetie, sweetie-pie, Slang baby: My dear, I hope we'll be together always. --adv. 4) dearly; at great cost or expense, at a high or excessive price: That little error will cost you dear, my friend.