Definitions

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective entailing great loss or sacrifice

Etymologies

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Examples

  • Satanic powers behind the scenes have planned scarcities, depressions, wars, punitive taxes, and strife, with the diabolical purpose of crushing our spirit, destroying our moral fibre, so that we will easily yield to the enticements of handouts from a State in return for surrender of dearly-won freedoms.

    The Commonwealth That Will Endure 1947

  • It is a hard-fought and dearly-won battle, by which sinful man may reach Heaven.

    The Treasury of Sacred Song 1890

  • In such a society, art could hardly have had a mission other than the glorification of a power without limit and without control -- a power to which alone the Assyrians had to look for a continuance of their dearly-won supremacy.

    A History of Art in Chaldæa & Assyria, v. 1 Georges Perrot 1873

  • The enemy had been driven off with heavy loss, but the little victory had been dearly-won.

    Fix Bay'nets The Regiment in the Hills George Manville Fenn 1870

  • She was much troubled about it, as she stood looking into the flushed tearful face, with all that light of defiance behind the tears, and felt instinctively that little Rosa, still only a pretty, obstinate, vain, uneducated little girl, was more than a match for herself, with all her dearly-won experiences.

    The Perpetual Curate 1862

  • But he does not enjoy his newfound, dearly-won kingship ...

    Listal promoted 2010

  • I’ll divulge some dearly-won knowledge after the past two months spent as a novice blogger on Wordpress: the spamcatcher Akismet, and others, will automatically flag and dump comments with 2 or more URL links into the spam bin.

    The Volokh Conspiracy » Proverb Spam 2010

  • I’ll divulge some dearly-won knowledge after the past two months spent as a novice blogger on Wordpress: the spamcatcher Akismet, and others, will automatically flag and dump comments with 2 or more URL links into the spam bin.

    The Volokh Conspiracy » Proverb Spam 2010

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