dear

Compared meaning: much loved or especially liked (adjective).

比较义项：钟爱的，特别喜爱的（形容词）。

• precious

  Describes something cherished for deep emotional or sentimental value, often irreplaceable; typically modifies objects, memories or people and can also be used predicatively.

  形容因深厚的情感或纪念意义而被珍视的事物，往往独一无二、无法替代；通常修饰物品、回忆或人，也可作表语。

  Her late mother's necklace is precious to her, though it isn't worth much money.

  她已故母亲留下的项链对她来说很precious，尽管它并不值多少钱。

• pet

  Almost always placed before a noun in fixed expressions like 'pet project' or 'pet theory', showing a personal, sometimes quirky favorite; rarely used predicatively.

  几乎总是放在名词前，用于“pet project”（钟爱的项目）、“pet theory”（偏爱的理论）等固定搭配，表示个人特别偏爱、略带随意的喜好；这个意义上很少作表语。

  Cutting the team's paperwork in half has become her pet project this year.

  今年，把团队的文书工作减少一半成了她的pet项目，也就是她特别偏爱、上心的项目。

• dear 本词

  Expresses warm affection, especially toward people; common in letter or email openings such as 'Dear Sir' and phrases like 'my dear friend'; softer and more intimate than the others.

  表达温暖的情感，尤其用于对人的称呼；常见于书信或邮件开头，如“Dear Sir”（亲爱的先生），也用于“my dear friend”（我亲爱的朋友）之类的说法；比其他几个词更柔和、更亲密。

  She began the letter, 'Dear Grandma, I think about you every single day.'

  她在信的开头写道：“Dear 奶奶，我每天都想着你。”

• favorite

  Implies choosing one thing as the most liked among several alternatives; neutral in tone and combines freely with everyday nouns like food, color or song.

  暗示在多个选项中挑出最喜欢的一个；语气中性，可自由搭配食物、颜色、歌曲等日常名词。

  Chocolate ice cream has always been his favorite dessert on hot summer days.

  巧克力冰淇淋一直是他在炎热夏日里的favorite甜品。

These four words mean deeply loved. Precious: cherished for emotional value. Pet: used before a noun, as in pet project. Dear: warm affection, as in letters. Favorite: liked best among choices. This excludes precious (costly), pet (an animal), dear (expensive), and favorite (a noun).

这四个词都可表示“深受喜爱的”，但语气和用法差别很大：precious强调因情感或纪念意义而倍加珍视，多修饰物品、回忆或人；pet几乎只用在project、theory等名词前的固定搭配里，表示个人特别偏爱、略带随意的喜好；dear侧重对人的温暖情感，常用于书信称呼；favorite则是在多个选项中挑出最喜欢的一个，语气中性。这里不比较precious表示“贵重的，稀有的”的义项、pet作名词“宠物”的用法、dear在英式英语中“昂贵的”的义项，以及favorite作名词“最喜爱的人或物”的用法。

Compared meaning: costing a lot of money (adjective).

比较义项：花费很多钱的、价格高的（adj.）。

• expensive

  The general, neutral word for anything costing a lot; works in any context—goods, services, prices—and any register, from casual talk to formal writing.

  最中性、最常用的词，用来表示任何东西花费很多钱；适用于商品、服务、价格等各种语境，也适用于口语和书面语等各种语域。

  Concert tickets for that band are expensive, often over two hundred dollars.

  那支乐队的演唱会门票很贵，常常要两百多美元。

• costly

  More formal; often stresses a high price as a serious drawback or consequence, especially for repairs, mistakes, or long-term investments, not everyday shopping.

  语气更正式；常强调高价是一种严重的不利后果，尤其用于维修、错误或长期投资，而不是日常购物。

  Delaying the roof repair proved costly once the leak caused serious damage.

  拖延屋顶维修的代价高昂，因为渗水最终造成了严重的损坏。

• dear 本词

  Informal, mainly British usage for something pricier than expected, often in spoken complaints about everyday costs; sounds old-fashioned or regional in American English.

  口语化，主要用于英式英语，指价格比预期更高；常用于对日常花费的口头抱怨，在美式英语中显得过时或带有地方色彩。

  Everything in London feels quite dear compared with prices back home.

  在伦敦，什么东西感觉都相当贵，比家乡的价格高不少。

Expensive, costly and dear all mean costing a lot. Expensive is the general, neutral word for anything costing a lot, in any context. Costly is more formal, stressing high price as a serious drawback, like repairs. Dear is informal British usage, sounding old-fashioned.

这三个词都表示价格高、花费大，但语气和适用场合不同：expensive 最中性、最常用；costly 更正式，常强调高价带来的不利后果；dear 在这个意义上多见于英式英语口语，且用法偏老式。这里不比较 dear 用于书信称呼时表示“亲爱的”的意思（如 Dear friend）。

Compared meaning: a name used for someone you love (noun).

比较义项：对所爱之人的称呼（名词）。

• honey

  Honey is a very casual spoken term of address to a loved one, a child, or even a stranger (e.g. a waitress to a customer), almost never used to refer to someone in the third person.

  honey 是非常口语化的当面称呼，可用于爱人、孩子，甚至陌生人（如服务员称呼顾客），几乎不用于第三人称提及某人。

  The waitress set down the plate and said, 'Here you go, honey.'

  服务员放下盘子说：“给您，亲爱的。”

• sweetheart

  Sweetheart specifically implies a romantic partner (or an affectionately regarded child), and works both as a direct address and as a reference to that person.

  sweetheart 特指恋人（或用来亲昵地称呼孩子），既可用作当面称呼，也可用于提及某人。

  He called his sweetheart every night before going to sleep.

  他每晚睡前都会给他的心上人打电话。

• dear 本词

  Dear is a mild, polite endearment commonly used as the opening salutation of a letter or by anyone speaking warmly to someone, without necessarily implying romantic love.

  dear 是一种温和、礼貌的爱称，常用作书信开头的称呼语，或用于亲切地称呼任何人，不一定表示恋爱关系。

  The letter began, 'Dear Grandma, I miss you so much.'

  信的开头写道：“亲爱的奶奶，我非常想你。”

• beloved

  Beloved is a formal or literary noun for a deeply, often solemnly loved person, mostly used to refer to that person (e.g. 'my beloved') rather than as a direct address.

  beloved 是较为正式或文学化的名词，指被深深爱着、常带庄重意味的人，多用于提及（如 my beloved），很少用作当面称呼。

  In his eulogy, he spoke tenderly about his beloved of forty years.

  在悼词中，他深情地讲述了与他相伴四十年的挚爱之人。

These words all name someone you love, but differ in tone. Honey is casual, said to loved ones. Sweetheart means a romantic partner. Dear is mild, as in letters. Beloved is formal, for a loved person. This excludes honey (food) and dear as an adjective.

这几个词都能指称“心爱的人”，但语气、正式程度以及是当面称呼还是书面／第三人称提及有所不同；这里不涉及 honey 作“蜂蜜”的义项，也不涉及 dear 作形容词“亲爱的”或感叹词的用法。