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
  • Drivers are advised to slow down, use caution, and carry winter emergency kits, while outdoor enthusiasts are being warned to prepare for rapidly changing and potentially dangerous weather conditions.
    Martha McHardy, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Oct. 2025
  • Springer advised his teammates simply to be themselves.
    Ken Rosenthal, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Later in the clip, the dispatcher instructed the friend to lie Naroditsky’s body flat and remove anything from underneath his head, before the friend said that police officers had arrived at the scene.
    Luke Chinman, PEOPLE, 29 Oct. 2025
  • The grantee is the person who is instructed to receive the assets from the trust (aka, the beneficiary).
    Jasmin Suknanan, CNBC, 29 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Chairwoman Robyn Denholm urged shareholders to support it, warning in a letter Monday that the company risks losing significant value if the deal fails and Musk opts to step down as chief executive.
    Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 3 Nov. 2025
  • Officials from the government and air traffic controllers’ union say that flying remains safe, but warn that the longer the shutdown drags on, the more stress these safety-critical employees will be under.
    Zach Wichter, USA Today, 2 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • Three people familiar with the situation told Semafor that Hurley reached out to an email address the reporter believed belonged to the former mayor of New York.
    Max Tani, semafor.com, 30 Oct. 2025
  • Expectations further rose over the course of the president’s trip to Asia, sources familiar with the matter told CNN, with the hopes that the deal would produce more than just a low-key touchpoint between the two world leaders.
    Betsy Klein, CNN Money, 30 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The actual bracket will be created on December 7 and if this sport has taught us anything this season, things escalate quickly.
    Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 5 Nov. 2025
  • Every chapter of Laura’s life has built on the one before it and taught early in life by her dad, Helton Ribeiro, that education could take her places.
    Malana VanTyler, USA Today, 4 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • Meyer ordered Evans to certify the ballot measure for the 2024 and 2026 general elections.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 3 Nov. 2025
  • Additional a la carte items are available to add on or order separately.
    Elaine Rewolinski, jsonline.com, 3 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • Friends and family will often counsel against making such a weighty decision in the midst of emotional turbulence, not grasping that a profound sense of misalignment is what is feeding the turbulence in the first place.
    James Marcus, New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2025
  • Licensed therapist Allison Guilbault, who counsels Gen Z clients in New York City, said splitting tabs, sharing Ubers and buying their own drinks has also become the standard.
    Deirdre Bardolf, FOXNews.com, 25 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Following her passing, flags will be flown at half-mast for 30 days at government offices, state enterprises, and educational institutions, and government officials have been asked to wear mourning attire for a year, according to the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT).
    Michael Cappetta, Travel + Leisure, 30 Oct. 2025
  • Weekly Newsletter Audiences were asked to consider that the display of human difference was dehumanizing or even exploitative but also to understand that the sideshow represented a locus of community and a way for disabled performers to make an independent living.
    JSTOR Daily, JSTOR Daily, 30 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Adjure.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/adjure. Accessed 5 Nov. 2025.

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