beloved
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
adj.very much loved and appreciated.
adj.dearly loved; held in deep affection. Often used before a noun to indicate a strong emotional bond.
Simple“The old man read the letter from his beloved granddaughter every single day.”
In context“The professor retired after forty years, leaving behind a beloved collection of rare manuscripts that he donated to the university library.”
- 02 C1 Advanced
n.a person that you love very much, usually a romantic partner.
n.a person who is greatly loved, typically used in a romantic or highly sentimental context.
Simple“He wrote a beautiful poem dedicated to his beloved.”
In context“In the final act of the play, the hero is reunited with his beloved after years of tragic separation.”
UsageOften used with a possessive pronoun like 'my' or 'his'.
Synonyms
“The grief and pain that BBC Radio 1 presenter Greg James described after his beloved chocolate labrador, Barney, was put to sleep felt all too familiar.”
“In desperate trouble, 16-year-old Ezra’s only hope is to cross the Northern Irish border – even if that means leaving his quirky, beloved sister with their foster parents.”
From Middle English beloved, biloved, equivalent to belove + -ed.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.