Is it appropriate to call people dear?

It’s kind of an old fashioned word. A second use of “dear” is when strangers or people you don’t know well call you “dear” to sound friendly. It can sound condescending, and some people are offended by it, so you have to be careful about using it this way.

Is it OK to call a stranger dear?

But a lot will feel the same as me – that it is insulting and degrading and makes them feel gross. As you go through life calling strangers “dear” no one will tell you they’re offended, they’ll just decide you’re icky and avoid you.

What does it mean someone calls you dear?

If someone calls you “dear,” “sweetie,” “sweetheart” or something like this, you should take it as a compliment. This applies whether the person doing the calling is a woman or a man, and it doesn’t matter if the person is a friend, relative or stranger; it would be a very nice comment.

What does it mean when someone calls you dear?

A second use of “dear” is when strangers or people you don’t know well call you “dear” to sound friendly. It can sound condescending, and some people are offended by it, so you have to be careful about using it this way.

Is it common for young people to call each other dear?

Or a grandmother might call her granddaughter “dear.” I don’t know a lot of young people who call each other dear. It’s kind of an old fashioned word. A second use of “dear” is when strangers or people you don’t know well call you “dear” to sound friendly.

How do you use the word dear in a sentence?

A second use of “dear” is when strangers or people you don’t know well call you “dear” to sound friendly. It can sound condescending, and some people are offended by it, so you have to be careful about using it this way. “Can I help you, dear?” or “would you hand me that magazine, dear?”

Is it bad to start an email with Dear?

Using “Dear” to start an everyday business email is almost always a dead giveaway that someone is not a US worker, at least in my industry. It is not considered forward or a problem in this case, but this may or may not have significant impact on how the writer is received by the recipient.