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
  • Skinner advises travelers to try their best to remain calm and engage with the person as little as possible.
    Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 7 Sep. 2025
  • Velasco advised a student with a talent for poetry to apply for the Oskar Knoblauch Holocaust Impact Video Contest using one of his poems.
    Erick Trevino, AZCentral.com, 7 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Bondi also instructed the board to reinstate the previous criteria that Attorney General Jeff Sessions issued in a 2018 case referred to as Matter of A-B-, per WSJ.
    Madison E. Goldberg, PEOPLE, 5 Sep. 2025
  • The monitors helped study participants needs such as food and restroom breaks, but the monitors were instructed not to provide any therapy to avoid influencing the study's results.
    Ken Alltucker, USA Today, 4 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • The swells will continue to build and increase along east-facing shorelines through the middle of the week, the hurricane center warned.
    Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 8 Sep. 2025
  • Janet, Shannon and Heather were in the kitchen, and Janet was pinning the collar onto Heather's confirmation robe when a ceiling light, which was affixed to the ceiling with two chains and several eye hooks into a beam, crashed down onto the kitchen table without warning.
    Jessica Sager, PEOPLE, 7 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • The cause of the accident was not immediately known, although the car appeared to have derailed, which a source from the Lisbon Firefighters Regiment told local media may have been caused by a loose cable leading to brake failure.
    Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 4 Sep. 2025
  • Figma added four new AI-native tools to its platform this quarter and told investors on the call to expect significant investments in AI going forward.
    Allie Garfinkle, Fortune, 4 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Even though Lee continues to work on Barraza’s case, the 66-year-old no longer practices law full time and instead now primarily teaches environmental classes and lectures about climate change at Loyola University.
    Ray Long, Chicago Tribune, 3 Sep. 2025
  • My family taught me all about Italian-American comfort food, and Ina taught me about American comfort food.
    Miranda Crowell, Better Homes & Gardens, 3 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • The arbitrator also ordered the city to pay Biscari back wages and benefits as well as the legal costs that Local 42 accrued in pursuing the grievance.
    Judy L. Thomas, Kansas City Star, 9 Sep. 2025
  • At the same time, the White House has ordered immigration enforcement in cities around the country.
    Kevin Shalvey, ABC News, 8 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • He was further influenced after learning that the FBI often calls on priests, rabbis and other clergy members to counsel victims at mass-casualty events.
    Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 5 Sep. 2025
  • Prior to joining Madewell, Lazarus was co-CEO of Cuup, a direct-to-consumer intimates brand, and a senior adviser at McKinsey & Company, counseling retail and apparel clients.
    David Moin, Footwear News, 4 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Clattenburg, whose post-refereeing commitments have ranged from acting as a consultant to Nottingham Forest to starring on the UK television show Gladiators, was asked by Paqueta’s legal team to pass observation on the four games being viewed as suspicious.
    Philip Buckingham, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2025
  • Prime Invitees can either ask the Prime member in their households to add them to their Amazon Family or sign up for their own Prime membership.
    Chad Murphy, The Enquirer, 4 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Adjure.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/adjure. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.

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