Liberal Dictionary English Dictionary
adjective
- tending to make dear or beloved.
- manifesting or evoking affection: an endearing smile.
verb (used with object)
- to make dear, esteemed, or beloved: He endeared himself to his friends with his gentle ways.
- Obsolete. to make costly.
adjective
- giving rise to love or esteem; charming
verb
- (tr) to cause to be beloved or esteemed
1660s, present participle adjective from endear. Related: Endearingly.
1580s, “to enhance the value of,” also “win the affection of,” from en- (1) “make, put in” + dear (adj.). Meaning “to make dear” is from 1640s. Related: Endeared; endearing.