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
  • Duties include analyzing client requests, advising on strategy and managing a team of professionals.
    Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 30 May 2025
  • First, start with shattering functional silos, the researchers advise.
    Joe McKendrick, Forbes.com, 30 May 2025
Verb
  • But the next stage involves AIs which can perform specific actions, whether booking airline tickets or designing software, when instructed.
    Tom Chivers, semafor.com, 5 June 2025
  • An immigration attorney told ABC7 that individuals received a text instructing them to appear for a routine case review in the South Loop, only to be detained shortly after.
    Billal Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 June 2025
Verb
  • Continue reading … ‘VERY DAMAGING’ – '60 Minutes' correspondent Scott Pelley warns against CBS settlement with Trump.
    , FOXNews.com, 9 June 2025
  • Businesses and economists have warned otherwise, spurring uncertainty about consumer spending and fears of a potential recession.
    Auzinea Bacon, CNN Money, 8 June 2025
Verb
  • Burt Reynolds told Business Insider in 2016 that, like Pacino, he was offered and turned down the part.
    Mike Miller Published, EW.com, 7 June 2025
  • The percentage tells the public how much of the fire perimeter is believed to not go beyond the control lines.
    CA WILDFIRE BOT, Sacbee.com, 7 June 2025
Verb
  • Having to teach your younger siblings not to trust figures of authority.
    Steve Dollar, Los Angeles Times, 3 June 2025
  • Part of the campaign includes a limited edition Squish the Bug home plate turf mat designed to teach Little Leaguers the fundamentals of batting.
    John Perrotto, Forbes.com, 3 June 2025
Verb
  • The last time a president called in the National Guard without a governor’s cooperation was in 1965, when Lyndon B. Johnson ordered troops to protect civil rights demonstrators in Alabama.
    Lia Russell, Sacbee.com, 9 June 2025
  • Helen's Tomato Pie Senior Digital News Editor Rebecca Baer heads to one of downtown Birmingham’s most popular restaurants, Helen, each summer to order their beloved Tomato Pie.
    Mary Shannon Wells, Southern Living, 8 June 2025
Verb
  • Furthermore, separation of powers concerns counsel judicial deference and restraint in the context of discovery regarding internal executive branch communications.
    Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 6 June 2025
  • Some experts counsel that business leaders should not take any criticisms from the president laying down.
    Edward Segal, Forbes.com, 7 May 2025
Verb
  • Seyfried asked Brody of the next film, who said he hadn’t been contacted about the project but noted that his character died.
    Matt Donnelly, Variety, 9 June 2025
  • Giselle, a cheery woman in her forties from Yorkshire, England, asked.
    Jennifer Wilson, New Yorker, 9 June 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Podcast

Cite this Entry

“Adjure.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/adjure. Accessed 13 Jun. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!