dear

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. adj. Loved and cherished: my dearest friend.
2. adj. Greatly valued; precious: lost everything dear to them.
3. adj. Highly esteemed or regarded. Used in direct address, especially in salutations: Dear Lee Dawson.
4. adj. High-priced; expensive.
5. adj. Charging high prices.
6. adj. Earnest; ardent: "This good man was a dear lover and constant practicer of angling” ( Izaak Walton).
7. adj. Obsolete Noble; worthy.
8. adj. Heartfelt: It is my dearest wish.
9. n. One that is greatly loved.
10. n. An endearing, lovable, or kind person.
11. adv. With fondness; affectionately.
12. adv. At a high cost: sold their wares dear.
13. interj. Used as a polite exclamation, chiefly of surprise or distress: oh dear; dear me.
14. adj. Severe; grievous; sore: our dearest need.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. Precious; of great value; highly esteemed or valued.
2. Costly; high in price; expensive, either absolutely, or as compared with the cost of other similar things, or of the same thing at other times or places: opposed to cheap.
3. Characterized by high prices in consequence of scarcity or dearth: as, a dear season.
4. Charging high prices: as, a dear tailor.
5. Held in tender affection or esteem; loved; beloved: as, a dear child; a dear friend [In this sense much used in the introductory address of letters between persons on terms of affection or of polite intercourse: as, dear Lucy; dear Doctor; dear Sir.]
6. Intense; deep; keen; being of a high degree.
7. Coming from the heart; heartfelt; earnest; passionate.
8. Dangerous; deadly.
9. [Obsolete or archaic in senses , and 8.]
10. n. A darling: a word denoting tender affection or endearment, most commonly used in direct address: as, my dear.
11. Dearly; very tenderly.
12. At a dear rate; at a high price.
13. An exclamation indicating surprise, pity, or other emotion: used absolutely or in connection with oh or me: as, oh dear ! I am so tired; dear me ! where have you been?
14. To make dear; endear.
15. n. An obsolete spelling of deer.

Wiktionary

1. adj. Loved; lovable.
2. adj. Loving, affectionate, heartfelt
3. adj. Precious to or greatly valued by someone.
4. adj. High in price; expensive.
5. adj. A formal way to start (possibly after my) addressing somebody at the beginning of a letter, memo etc.
6. adj. A formal way to start (often after my) addressing somebody one likes or regards kindly.
7. adj. An ironic way to start (often after my) addressing an inferior.
8. adj. obsolete noble
9. n. A very kind, loving person.
10. n. A beloved person
11. v. obsolete To endear.
12. adj. Severe(ly affected), sore

GNU Webster's 1913

1. adj. Bearing a high price; high-priced; costly; expensive.
2. adj. Marked by scarcity or dearth, and exorbitance of price.
3. adj. Highly valued; greatly beloved; cherished; precious.
4. adj. Hence, close to the heart; heartfelt; present in mind; engaging the attention.
5. adj. Of agreeable things and interests.
6. adj. Of disagreeable things and antipathies.
7. n. A dear one; lover; sweetheart.
8. adv. Dearly; at a high price.
9. v. obsolete To endear.

WordNet 3.0

1. adv. with affection
2. adj. having a high price
3. n. a beloved person; used as terms of endearment
4. n. a sweet innocent mild-mannered person (especially a child)
5. adj. dearly loved
6. adj. with or in a close or intimate relationship
7. adv. at a great cost
8. adj. earnest.