Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
×

Thesaurus

beseech

verb

Synonyms and Antonyms of beseech

to make a request to (someone) in an earnest or urgent manner
  • The lawyer ardently beseeched the jury to give her client justice.
Synonyms of beseech

appeal (to), beg, besiege, entreat, implore, importune, petition, plead (to), pray, solicit, supplicate
Words Related to beseech

cadge, mooch, sponge

ask, desire, invoke, request, sue

claim, coerce, command, compel, demand, force, insist, require
Phrases Synonymous with beseech

call on (or upon)
Near Antonyms of beseech

hint, imply, intimate, suggest

appease, conciliate, gratify, mollify, oblige, pacify, placate, please, satisfy

comfort, console, content, quiet

Synonym Discussion of beseech

beg, entreat, beseech, implore, supplicate, adjure, importune mean to ask urgently. beg suggests earnestness or insistence in the asking.
    • they begged for help
entreat implies an effort to persuade or to overcome resistance.
    • entreated me to join them
beseech and implore imply a deeply felt anxiety.
    • I beseech you to have mercy
    • implored her not to leave him
supplicate suggests a posture of humility.
    • with bowed heads they supplicated their Lord
adjure implies advising as well as pleading.
    • we were adjured to tell the truth
importune suggests an annoying persistence in trying to break down resistance to a request.
    • importuning viewers for contributions

Learn More about beseech

  1. See words that rhyme with beseech Dictionary: Definition of beseech Spanish Central: Translation of beseech Nglish: Translation of beseech for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of beseech for Arabic speakers

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up beseech? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show hide

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games