Crossword Genius

Love is almost dead — what's left? (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

dearest

'love' is the definition.
(synonyms)

'almost dead what's left?' is the wordplay.
'almost' means to remove the last letter (most of the word but not all of it).
'what's left?' becomes 'rest' (I've seen this in other clues).
'dead' with its final letter taken away is 'dea'.
'dea'+'rest'='DEAREST'

'is' acts as a link.

(Other definitions for dearest that I've seen before include "The beloved one is most costly" , "Most loved or expensive" , "Most expensive or beloved" , "most excessive" , "most delightful" .)

I've seen this clue in The Guardian.
Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.