Synonyms of adore

adore 1 of 3

verb (1)

ə-ˈdȯr 

1

as in to love

to feel passion, devotion, or tenderness for

an attentive, solicitous husband who clearly adores his wife

Synonyms & Similar Words

• love
• cherish
• fall for
• carry the torch (for)
• worship
• idolize
• carry a torch (for)
• idealize
• revere
• lose one's heart (to)
• adulate
• venerate
• reverence
• canonize
• deify
• delight (in)
• dote (on)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• hate
• despise
• loathe
• detest
• abhor
• dislike
• antagonize
• displease
• abominate
• disapprove (of)
• execrate
• revolt
• repel
• turn off
• sicken
• disgust
• repulse
• disfavor
• nauseate

2

as in to like

to love or admire too much

adores her older sister so much that she cannot see her considerable faults

Synonyms & Similar Words

• like
• worship
• idolize
• revere
• appreciate
• prefer
• hero-worship
• cherish
• adulate
• dote (on)
• regard
• deify
• canonize
• treasure
• respect
• favor
• value
• fancy
• venerate
• prize
• approve
• esteem
• endorse
• support
• hallow

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• hate
• despise
• dislike
• loathe
• detest
• abhor
• disdain
• abominate
• disparage
• put down
• belittle
• deprecate
• misprize

3

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• venerate
• worship
• revere
• reverence
• admire
• love
• honor
• praise
• respect
• glorify
• deify
• regard
• please
• exalt
• dignify
• extol
• delight
• laud
• gratify
• lionize
• magnify
• satisfy
• apotheosize
• canonize

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• violate
• desecrate
• blaspheme
• offend
• ridicule
• insult
• scorn
• profane
• outrage
• slight
• dishonor
• displease
• disparage
• disrespect
• affront
• libel
• smear
• pique
• defame
• slander
• malign
• slur

4

as in to enjoy

to take pleasure in

I adore those earrings—wherever did you get them?

Synonyms & Similar Words

• enjoy
• love
• like
• savor
• relish
• admire
• rejoice (in)
• delight (in)
• get off (on)
• take to
• appreciate
• fancy
• go for
• revel (in)
• revere
• get a kick out of
• dig
• groove (on)
• have a soft spot for
• prefer
• venerate
• treasure
• cherish
• be partial to
• worship
• drink (in)
• value
• prize
• idolize
• cotton (to)
• feast (on)
• devour
• eat (up)
• dote (on)
• indulge (in)
• favor
• wallow (in)
• luxuriate (in)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• hate
• dislike
• loathe
• detest
• abhor
• despise
• condemn
• abominate
• scorn

adoring

2 of 3

adjective

ə-ˈdȯr-iŋ 

1

as in loving

feeling or showing love

adoring grandparents who love to spoil their grandchildren

Synonyms & Similar Words

• loving
• affectionate
• devoted
• passionate
• warm
• fond
• caring
• doting
• compassionate
• tender
• fervent
• friendly
• kind
• tenderhearted
• impassioned
• understanding
• romantic
• ardent
• forgiving
• infatuated
• amorous
• erotic
• considerate
• lovesick
• humane
• warmhearted
• cordial
• sentimental
• amatory
• enamored
• motherly
• fatherly
• brotherly
• sappy
• sisterly
• mushy
• lovey-dovey

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• indifferent
• aloof
• distant
• detached
• unloving
• dry
• pitiless
• uncaring
• remote
• antisocial
• cool
• unbending
• reserved
• standoffish
• unfeeling
• frosty
• disaffected
• unconcerned
• offish
• uninvolved
• unfriendly
• cold
• hard-hearted
• frigid
• ruthless
• cold-eyed
• callous
• heartless
• soulless
• unsentimental
• unromantic
• cold-blooded
• hard-boiled

2

as in affectionate

reflecting great admiration or devotion

the adoring attention of the girls' gymnastics team when our local Olympic hero spoke to them

Synonyms & Similar Words

• loving
• affectionate
• worshipful
• worshipping
• appreciative
• adulatory
• deifying
• idolizing
• reverent
• reverential
• respectful
• hagiographic
• fond
• deferential
• venerating
• approving
• glorifying

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• hateful
• contemptuous
• scornful
• disapproving
• loathing
• condemning

adoring

3 of 3

verb (2)

present participle of adore

1

as in worshipping

to feel passion, devotion, or tenderness for

an attentive, solicitous husband who clearly adores his wife

Synonyms & Similar Words

• loving
• worshipping
• cherishing
• falling for
• carrying the torch (for)
• carrying a torch (for)
• adulating
• idolizing
• idealizing
• revering
• losing one's heart (to)
• reverencing
• canonizing
• venerating
• deifying
• doting (on)
• delighting (in)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• hating
• despising
• detesting
• loathing
• abhorring
• antagonizing
• displeasing
• disliking
• execrating
• abominating
• disapproving (of)
• repelling
• sickening
• revolting
• disgusting
• nauseating
• repulsing
• turning off
• disfavoring

2

as in liking

to love or admire too much

adores her older sister so much that she cannot see her considerable faults

Synonyms & Similar Words

• worshipping
• liking
• idolizing
• adulating
• deifying
• canonizing
• revering
• doting (on)
• hero-worshipping
• appreciating
• cherishing
• regarding
• valuing
• respecting
• preferring
• treasuring
• favoring
• venerating
• esteeming
• fancying
• prizing
• approving
• endorsing
• hallowing
• supporting

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• hating
• despising
• disliking
• disdaining
• detesting
• loathing
• abhorring
• disparaging
• belittling
• abominating
• deprecating
• putting down
• misprizing

3

as in venerating

to offer honor or respect to (someone) as a divine power

the Roman soldier was beheaded for adoring the Christian god

Synonyms & Similar Words

• worshipping
• venerating
• revering
• reverencing
• admiring
• praising
• honoring
• loving
• respecting
• deifying
• glorifying
• regarding
• exalting
• extolling
• pleasing
• dignifying
• delighting
• lauding
• lionizing
• gratifying
• canonizing
• apotheosizing
• magnifying
• satisfying

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• violating
• desecrating
• blaspheming
• insulting
• ridiculing
• offending
• scorning
• profaning
• dishonoring
• outraging
• disrespecting
• slighting
• displeasing
• disparaging
• affronting
• smearing
• slandering
• maligning
• defaming
• slurring
• piquing
• libeling

4

as in enjoying

to take pleasure in

I adore those earrings—wherever did you get them?

Synonyms & Similar Words

• enjoying
• loving
• savoring
• liking
• relishing
• admiring
• fancying
• taking to
• rejoicing (in)
• grooving (on)
• going for
• getting off (on)
• appreciating
• delighting (in)
• reveling (in)
• digging
• revering
• getting a kick out of
• worshipping
• venerating
• having a soft spot for
• valuing
• treasuring
• cherishing
• idolizing
• being partial to
• preferring
• devouring
• eating (up)
• drinking (in)
• feasting (on)
• prizing
• doting (on)
• favoring
• indulging (in)
• luxuriating (in)
• cottoning (to)
• wallowing (in)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• hating
• disliking
• detesting
• loathing
• abhorring
• condemning
• despising
• scorning
• abominating

Synonym Chooser

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

Recent Examples of adore

Verb

But there are funny people up and down this justifiably adored comedy, with Jason Bateman, Rachel McAdams and Sharon Horgan. —ABC News, 6 May 2026

Polanco was already in an unenviable position, replacing a player adored by the fanbase and ingrained in the team’s culture. —Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 6 May 2026

Adjective

The Patriots’ pass coverage without Christian Gonzalez, their atrocious inside linebacker play and roller-coaster special teams, which give any adoring fan a heart attack at a moment’s notice. —Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 16 Sep. 2025

Chicharito also benefitted from his market placement in LA, in his case mainly due to the proximity to an adoring Mexican fanbase throughout Southern California. —Ian Nicholas Quillen, Forbes.com, 20 Apr. 2025

Verb

Presidents are usually removed from voters, separated by layers of security and surrounded by adoring subordinates. —Michelle L. Price, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2026

At first glance Hathaway, who won an Oscar for her heartfelt musical performance in Les Misérables, is still not my idea of the kind of risk-taking music superstar who can command arenas full of adoring fans. —Pete Hammond, Deadline, 14 Apr. 2026