Synonym Chooser

How is the word adjure distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of adjure are beg, beseech, entreat, implore, importune, and supplicate. While all these words mean "to ask urgently," adjure implies advising as well as pleading.

we were adjured to tell the truth

When can beg be used instead of adjure?

The synonyms beg and adjure are sometimes interchangeable, but beg suggests earnestness or insistence in the asking.

they begged for help

How are the words beseech and implore related as synonyms of adjure?

Both beseech and implore imply a deeply felt anxiety.

I beseech you to have mercy
implored her not to leave him

In what contexts can entreat take the place of adjure?

While in some cases nearly identical to adjure, entreat implies an effort to persuade or to overcome resistance.

entreated me to join them

Where would importune be a reasonable alternative to adjure?

The words importune and adjure can be used in similar contexts, but importune suggests an annoying persistence in trying to break down resistance to a request.

importuning viewers for contributions

When would supplicate be a good substitute for adjure?

While the synonyms supplicate and adjure are close in meaning, supplicate suggests a posture of humility.

with bowed heads they supplicated their Lord

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of adjure Despite the song’s topic, the music is joyful, light, as Carlito adjures Maya in Lingala, the language of Kinshasa and its environs: Listen to a voice calling you in the middle of the night. Nicolas Niarchos, The New Yorker, 26 June 2019 And Congress is adjured by the Fourteenth Amendment to enforce it against the states. WSJ, 25 May 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for adjure
Verb
  • Mendoza advised King to request twice as many; Mendoza had a plan for the others.
    ProPublica, ProPublica, 13 Sep. 2025
  • The players had two weeks off before the Euros, and Bronze was advised to rest.
    Charlotte Harpur, New York Times, 13 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Under captain Eric Brown, the GB&I team was even instructed not to help opponents search for lost balls.
    Tim Corlett, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025
  • Emery instructs players to pass backwards rather than sideways, as square passes are easier for opponents to intercept and can lead to transitions.
    Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Officials in Moscow have also warned that NATO's actions against such craft would constitute a dangerous escalation of the standoff between Moscow and its Western adversaries.
    David Brennan, ABC News, 15 Sep. 2025
  • Supporters, meanwhile, warned of cultural fragmentation if English lost its primacy.
    Doug Melville, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • In recent months, tariffs modestly contributed to the uptick in overall inflation, analysts previously told ABC News, but overall price increases owed largely to a rise in housing and food products with little connection to Trump’s levies.
    Max Zahn, ABC News, 11 Sep. 2025
  • Kaivan Shroff, a 2024 delegate for Harris, said the former vice president has the right to tell the story of her campaign, as does Biden, who has conducted a few interviews and speeches since leaving office.
    Mabinty Quarshie, The Washington Examiner, 11 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • His cross-continental upbringing taught him early on that identity is both inherited and invented.
    Janee Bolden, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Sep. 2025
  • After beginning to teach folklorico classes in a backyard on the east side of San Jose, Lopez realized her students needed a more accommodating space.
    Iris Sanchez, Mercury News, 16 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • The next step can be ordering imaging of your liver like an ultrasound or CT to look for evidence of abnormalities like fat accumulation in your liver.
    Bruce Y. Lee, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025
  • The organization, a private nonprofit governing and promoting school sports events in the state, is not a defendant in the suit, but was ordered to provide extensive information in a 23-point list of requests included in the subpoena.
    Samantha Riedel, Them., 15 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Make time to counsel them as the moon harmonizes with Mercury.
    USA TODAY, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2025
  • But when a Brazilian pastor is called to counsel a politician, he is immediately labelled ‘corrupt,’ as if Heaven changes its mind depending on the nationality of the person preaching.
    Jon Lee Anderson, New Yorker, 10 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Ahead of Kirk's visit to Utah Valley University, some students started an online petition asking university administrators to stop him from coming.
    Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 11 Sep. 2025
  • When asked by a reporter for more details about how Trump planned to ban mail-in ballots, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that the administration planned to work with Republicans on Capitol Hill and in state legislatures.
    Hailey Bullis, The Washington Examiner, 11 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Adjure.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/adjure. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.

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