ADORE Synonyms: 119 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How does the verb 'adore' differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of adore are reverence , revere , venerate , and worship . While all these words mean "to honor and admire profoundly and respectfully," adore implies love and stresses the notion of an individual and personal attachment. // we adored our doctor

Q: When could 'revere' be used to replace 'adore'?

The words revere and adore can be used in similar contexts, but revere stresses deference and tenderness of feeling. // a professor revered by her students

Q: When can 'reverence' be used instead of 'adore'?

While in some cases nearly identical to adore , reverence presupposes an intrinsic merit and inviolability in the one honored and a similar depth of feeling in the one honoring. // reverenced the academy's code of honor

Q: When would 'venerate' be a good substitute for 'adore'?

The meanings of venerate and adore largely overlap; however, venerate implies a holding as holy or sacrosanct because of character, association, or age. // heroes still venerated

Q: When is 'worship' a more appropriate choice than 'adore'?

In some situations, the words worship and adore are roughly equivalent. However, worship implies homage usually expressed in words or ceremony. // worships their memory

adore

verb

ə-ˈdȯr

Definition of adore

as in to love

to feel passion, devotion, or tenderness for an attentive, solicitous husband who clearly adores his wife

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as in to like

to love or admire too much adores her older sister so much that she cannot see her considerable faults

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to venerate

to offer honor or respect to (someone) as a divine power the Roman soldier was beheaded for adoring the Christian god

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to enjoy

to take pleasure in I adore those earrings—wherever did you get them?

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How does the verb adore differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of adore are reverence, revere, venerate, and worship. While all these words mean "to honor and admire profoundly and respectfully," adore implies love and stresses the notion of an individual and personal attachment.

we adored our doctor

When could revere be used to replace adore?

The words revere and adore can be used in similar contexts, but revere stresses deference and tenderness of feeling.

a professor revered by her students

When can reverence be used instead of adore?

While in some cases nearly identical to adore, reverence presupposes an intrinsic merit and inviolability in the one honored and a similar depth of feeling in the one honoring.

reverenced the academy's code of honor

When would venerate be a good substitute for adore?

The meanings of venerate and adore largely overlap; however, venerate implies a holding as holy or sacrosanct because of character, association, or age.

heroes still venerated

When is worship a more appropriate choice than adore?

In some situations, the words worship and adore are roughly equivalent. However, worship implies homage usually expressed in words or ceremony.

worships their memory

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 adore While their new addition has been an adjustment for their twins, the proud parents share that their twins simply adore their baby brother. — Kayla Grant, PEOPLE, 2 Sep. 2026 Jet Fans of the New York Jets will adore this slick moniker for a tiny tyke. — Beth Ann Mayer, Parents, 1 Sep. 2026 Market on Close The analyst corps that covers Nvidia is mostly adoring. — Michael Santoli, CNBC, 31 Aug. 2026 In front of adoring fans in Shanghai, the UFC veteran and perennial contender in the UFC bantamweight division scored a shocking upset win over Umar Nurmagomedov in the main event on Saturday. — Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for adore

Recent Examples of Synonyms for adore

Verb

But when the Orcs come sniffing, those same qualities transform him from fun-loving hobbit to fierce protector.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 Sep. 2026
The 54-year-old Carrollton alum was referring to the celebrity loved injectable from Eli Lilly and Company that the FDA approved that same year.

— Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 9 Sep. 2026

Definition of love

Verb

Lamb liked to link play, although City also had plenty of joy down the flanks.

— Rob Tanner, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
As for the journalist, with the anniversary comes reflection on the first responders, those who lost their lives and others who like him, are still living with the consequences.

— Ralphie Aversa, USA Today, 10 Sep. 2026

Definition of like

Verb

The man was Frank McCourt, Stuyvesant’s venerated creative writing teacher.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 9 Sep. 2026
Other venerated South Side joints included Pepper’s Lounge, the Dew Drop Inn, and Theresa’s Lounge, the latter of which was tucked away in the basement of an apartment building.

— René Ostberg, Encyclopedia Britannica, 29 July 2026

Definition of venerate

Verb

Aston Villa and Chelsea, for example, exchanged four players over the summer, with The Athletic reporting that the two organisations enjoy a strong relationship.

— Conor O'Neill, New York Times, 7 Sep. 2026
Home to the world’s largest Japanese diaspora, as well as sizeable Korean and Chinese communities, the Brazilian megacity of São Paulo is one of the best places outside Asia to enjoy Asian food, said Austin Bush in Travel + Leisure.

— The Week UK, TheWeek, 6 Sep. 2026

Definition of enjoy

Verb

The latter is embodied by an underground race of telepathic mutants who worship an unexploded nuclear bomb and find themselves in conflict with the apes, as well as the few surviving humans, on the way to a finale that out-tragedies the original.

— Jesse Hassenger, Entertainment Weekly, 2 Sep. 2026
With only Lucien, a freshly out twink with more heart than abs, still by his side, Jim must race to find a cure before the disease erases the community that once worshipped him.

— Leo Barraclough, Variety, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of worship

Verb

But for as much as Kirk was revered on the right, he was reviled on the left, facing pushback for comments disparaging immigrants and transgender people and questioning the qualifications and capabilities of women and Black Americans.

— Elena Moore, NPR, 10 Sep. 2026
Designer Tinker Hatfield made his second contribution to the Air Jordan line with the Air Jordan 4, which is one of the series’ most revered along with his designs of the Air Jordan 3 and Air Jordan 11.

— Ian Servantes, Footwear News, 10 Sep. 2026

Definition of revere

Verb

Like its predecessor in the space, Lanna will be a full-service restaurant, a place to unwind and savor each bite.

— Michael Deeds, Idaho Statesman, 11 Sep. 2026
The players, too, have benefited, with the trip to West Ham and the largest stadium the second tier of English football has seen since the mid to late 1970s something to savour.

— Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 10 Sep. 2026

Definition of savor

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“Adore.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/adore. Accessed 13 Sep. 2026.

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