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
  • Rather, Singh advised, think of them as a menu of options—pick three to start with.
    Cathy Cassata, Health, 24 Apr. 2025
  • After many of these heated interactions between GOP lawmakers and voters pressing for answers went viral, House leadership advised members to quit hosting in-person events.
    Savannah Kuchar, USA Today, 24 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • His withdrawal followed reports that he was presented with two letters signed by Francis before his death, instructing him not to take part in the conclave.
    Tom Rogers, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Apr. 2025
  • House Speaker Mike Johnson has instructed committees in the lower chamber to start hashing out the details of legislation between April 28 and May 9 in the hopes of having a final package passed by Memorial Day.
    Riley Beggin, USA Today, 30 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • The jump could augur a potential wave of bankruptcy filings as consumers start to buckle under a record level of debt and as tariffs fuel inflation, the company warned in a report this week.
    Alain Sherter, CBS News, 22 Apr. 2025
  • When autoworkers were organizing at Volkswagen and Mercedes plants in Tennessee and Alabama in June 2024, the White House warned Germany that German companies should not interfere with unionization votes in the United States.
    Jennifer M. Harris, Foreign Affairs, 22 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • 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, 21 Apr. 2025
  • That moment — the explosion, the roar — only told part of the story.
    Colin Cerniglia, Charlotte Observer, 20 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Share the unpopular truth that your experience has taught you.
    Jodie Cook, Forbes.com, 28 Apr. 2025
  • This song doesn’t just teach children to pick up trash (especially outside), but also how to recycle.
    Alex Vance, Parents, 28 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • But last week, the Trump administration ordered him to halt all the lab’s ALS research immediately as part of a more than $2.2 billion federal funding freeze.
    Chelsea Bailey, CNN Money, 23 Apr. 2025
  • Women can order Oova kits directly and receive 30 days' worth of hormone testing.
    Geri Stengel, Forbes.com, 23 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Lexi is a kindly 350-year-old vampire who makes fast friends with Elena, counseling her about the ins and outs of dating Paul Wesley's Stefan Salvatore, another 100-plus-year-old vampire whom Lexi had been palling around with for decades.
    Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 14 Apr. 2025
  • The coaches can counsel you on adopting a heart-healthy diet, fitting daily physical activity into your schedule, and reducing stress.
    Julia Ries, Health, 9 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Healthcare providers consider your medical history and ask about symptoms.
    Mark Gurarie, Health, 22 Apr. 2025
  • Three Manhattan federal prosecutors resigned on Tuesday after saying the Trump administration had asked them to admit wrongdoing in New York City Mayor Eric Adams’s corruption case as a condition of their return.
    Ross O'Keefe, The Washington Examiner, 22 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Adjure.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/adjure. Accessed 3 May. 2025.

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