Standard Lemma guide

dearest

adj · noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈdɪəɹɪst/
  • General-American: /ˈdɪɹɪst/
  • rhymes with (Received Pronunciation) -ɪəɹɪst
  • rhymes with (General American) -ɪɹɪst
  • General-American: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: D IH1 R AH0 S T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

superlative form of dear: most dear

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: form-of, superlative

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A beloved person; a term of endearment.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • I need to call my dearest and tell her the news.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

a beloved person; used as terms of endearment

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: beloved, dear, honey, love

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: lover

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

3 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Finnish: rakkain — a beloved person; a term of endearment — see also darling
  • Hindi: प्रियतम (priytam) — a beloved person; a term of endearment — see also darling
  • Hindi: प्रियतमा (priyatmā) — a beloved person; a term of endearment — see also darling