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beloved

beloved

353 2.1
Very much loved, often for a long time
  • adjective
  • /bɪˈlʌvɪd/
: querido
  • Could there be a more beloved CEO in the tech space right now?
  • a beloved son
  • a beloved wife
  • a beloved uncle

It is our famed, our beloved, our what?

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Examples

  • The Karate Kid is so beloved and important.

  • Moses was a prophet, and beloved of God.

  • Then I imagine being a beloved son of God with no memory at all.

  • And he was very beloved and people were drawn to him.

  • Your trusted doctor is a beloved friend to the family.

  • Farewell, my beloved teacher and guide.

  • Old friends in the causes he had served so well embraced him as a beloved comrade-in-arms.

    Academic text (1992)
  • Preston and Williams, the STEAM scholar, beloved educator and spiritual leader.

  • And one of those is our dearly beloved Gavin Newsom.

  • Rhea Perlman has been a beloved fixture on our TVs over the years.

Synonyms

dear
vsbeloved
∞ 1.0

Loved and valued very much

expresses deep affection rather than formal admiration
precious
vsbeloved
561 3.2

Very important and loved because of strong personal feelings

suggests loving attachment rather than only importance or rarity
loved
vsbeloved
518 1.0

A person or thing that someone cares about very much

expresses being deeply treasured rather than everyday care
darling
vsbeloved
  • Informal
63 1.8

Loved very much by someone

is used more generally to mean strong loving feeling
prized
vsbeloved
42 3.4

Very valuable to someone because they care about it

focuses more on emotional closeness than on high value
cherished
vsbeloved
39 3.4

Very much loved and kept, like a special photo or memory

focuses more on being dearly loved than on value
treasured
vsbeloved
24 4.1

A thing people keep because they love it and it brings memories

conveys being dearly loved without stressing high value
adored
vsbeloved
11 2.6

Loved very much by one person or by many people

expresses deep fondness but with less rapture or intensity
best-loved
vsbeloved
5 3.4

Liked more than other things of the same kind

means to be held as the top choice among many
chere
vsbeloved
  • Archaic
1 9.9

Much loved and highly valued by someone

is the normal modern word rather than archaic writing
belove
vsbeloved
  • Archaic
1 9.9

A person or thing that someone loves very much

is the modern everyday form rather than archaic or poetic

Antonyms

15 3.4

Not cared for or shown affection

8 1.0

Not popular with many people

Compounds

A character in a book or film who many people love

An activity or hobby someone enjoys a lot

How Loved

adored
11 2.6
cherished
39 3.4
beloved
353 2.1
loved
518 1.0
fond
269 1.0
liked
74 1.0

Surface Forms

beloved positive

Morphology

beloved = loved (transparent) = be + love + ed

The structure is simply 'be-' + 'loved' (derived from 'love'), and the meaning 'dearly loved' is directly inferable from the base.

Etymology

Beloved comes from the prefix be- plus the word love, so it literally means 'completely loved' or 'deeply loved'. That's why we call a person or thing beloved when we greatly cherish them.