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Dear vs Hello - What's the difference?

dear | hello |

As nouns the difference between dear and hello

is that dear is a very kind, loving person while hello is "!" or an equivalent greeting.

As verbs the difference between dear and hello

is that dear is (obsolete) to endear while hello is to greet with "hello".

As an adjective dear

is loved; lovable or dear can be severe(ly affected), sore.

As an adverb dear

is (obsolete) dearly; at a high price.

As an interjection hello is

.

dear

English

Etymology 1

From (etyl) dere, from (etyl) .

Adjective

(er)
  • Loved; lovable.
  • *
  • *:So this was my future home, I thought!Backed by towering hills, the but faintly discernible purple line of the French boundary off to the southwest, a sky of palest Gobelin flecked with fat, fleecy little clouds, it in truth looked a dear little city; the city of one's dreams.
  • Loving, affectionate, heartfelt
  • :
  • Precious to or greatly valued by someone.
  • :
  • High in price; expensive.
  • :
  • A formal way to start (possibly after my ) addressing somebody at the beginning of a letter, memo etc.
  • :
  • A formal way to start (often after my ) addressing somebody one likes or regards kindly.
  • :
  • *, chapter=7
    • , title= The Mirror and the Lamp , passage=“A very welcome, kind, useful present, that means to the parish. By the way, Hopkins, let this go no further. We don't want the tale running round that a rich person has arrived. Churchill, my dear fellow, we have such greedy sharks, and wolves in lamb's clothing.
  • An ironic way to start (often after my ) addressing an inferior.
  • :
  • (lb) Noble.
    • Derived terms
    * dearly * dear me * dearness

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A very kind, loving person.
    • My cousin is such a dear , always drawing me pictures.
  • A beloved person
    • Synonyms
    * (kind loving person) darling
    Derived terms
    * oh dear * the dear knows

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • (obsolete) To endear.
    • (Shelton)

    Adverb

    (en adverb)
  • (obsolete) dearly; at a high price
  • * Shakespeare
    • If thou attempt it, it will cost thee dear .

    Etymology 2

    (etyl) dere, from (etyl) . Cognate with the above

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • Severe(ly affected), sore

    • Statistics

    *

    Anagrams

    * English affectionate terms ----

    hello

    English

    Alternative forms

    * hallo * hilloa (obsolete) * hullo (UK)

    Interjection

    (en interjection)
  • * , chapter=7
    • , title= Mr. Pratt's Patients , passage=I made a speaking trumpet of my hands and commenced to whoop “Ahoy!” and “Hello!'” at the top of my lungs.
  • (colloquial)

    • Usage notes

    * The greeting hello is among the most generic and neutral in use. It may be heard in nearly all social situations and in nearly all walks of life, and is unlikely to cause offense.

    Quotations

    * (English Citations of "hello")

    Synonyms

    * (greeting) ** g'day, hey, hi, ** hallo, hi, hiya, ey up ** hallo, hey, hi, howdy ** how's it going, hey, hi ** howzit ** (slang) wassup, what's up, yo, sup * See also

    Antonyms

    * (greeting) bye, goodbye

    Derived terms

    *

    See also

    * * (wikipedia "hello")

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • "!" or an equivalent greeting.
  • * {{quote-news, year=2007, date=April 29, author=Stephanie Rosenbloom, title=A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, work=New York Times citation
    • , passage=In many new buildings, though, neighbors are venturing beyond tight-lipped hellos at the mailbox.}}

    Synonyms

    * greeting

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To greet with "hello".
  • * 2013 , Ivan Doig, English Creek (page 139)
    • I had to traipse around somewhat, helloing' people and being ' helloed , before I spotted my mother and my father, sharing shade and a spread blanket with Pete and Marie Reese and Toussaint Rennie near the back of the park.
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