REVERENCE Synonyms: 77 Similar and Opposite Words

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

Some common synonyms of reverence are adore , revere , venerate , and worship . While all these words mean "to honor and admire profoundly and respectfully," 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 can 'adore' be used instead of 'reverence'?

The words adore and reverence are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, adore implies love and stresses the notion of an individual and personal attachment. // we adored our doctor

Q: When is it sensible to use 'revere' instead of 'reverence'?

While the synonyms revere and reverence are close in meaning, revere stresses deference and tenderness of feeling. // a professor revered by her students

Q: Where would 'venerate' be a reasonable alternative to 'reverence'?

In some situations, the words venerate and reverence are roughly equivalent. However, venerate implies a holding as holy or sacrosanct because of character, association, or age. // heroes still venerated

Q: In what contexts can 'worship' take the place of 'reverence'?

The synonyms worship and reverence are sometimes interchangeable, but worship implies homage usually expressed in words or ceremony. // worships their memory

reverence 1 of 2

verb

ˈrev-rən(t)s

Definition of reverence

as in to venerate

to offer honor or respect to (someone) as a divine power devotees coming to reverence their god

Synonyms & Similar Words

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reverence

2 of 2

noun

as in deference

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How does the verb reverence differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of reverence are adore, revere, venerate, and worship. While all these words mean "to honor and admire profoundly and respectfully," 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 can adore be used instead of reverence?

The words adore and reverence are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, adore implies love and stresses the notion of an individual and personal attachment.

we adored our doctor

When is it sensible to use revere instead of reverence?

While the synonyms revere and reverence are close in meaning, revere stresses deference and tenderness of feeling.

a professor revered by her students

Where would venerate be a reasonable alternative to reverence?

In some situations, the words venerate and reverence are roughly equivalent. However, venerate implies a holding as holy or sacrosanct because of character, association, or age.

heroes still venerated

In what contexts can worship take the place of reverence?

The synonyms worship and reverence are sometimes interchangeable, but 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 reverence

Verb

Written with the intimacy of a conversation among loved ones, Someday, Now invites readers to sit with loss while still reverencing the beauty of life, parenting, and letting our children flourish. — Lynnette Nicholas, Essence, 9 Oct. 2025 But Pi is precociously enlightened, his innocence not a problem to be rectified but a quality to be reverenced. — Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 9 May 2025

Noun

For most of Saturday afternoon, Boise State treated one of college football’s most daunting stadiums with a suspicious lack of reverence. — Ira Gorawara, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026 He’s flanked by Claymore and Fuller as John and Major Ridge, who both infuse a deep reverence for their characters in both of their performances. — Charlotte Observer, 28 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for reverence

Recent Examples of Synonyms for reverence

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

Noun

Kanter could raise the same basic arguments in an arbitration, but it would be conducted in private, and awards by arbitrators are difficult to challenge in court because judges are obligated to give high deference to those awards.

— Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 14 Sep. 2026
But the governor offered his surprising deference to a political rival for an office he’s long been known to have eyes on during an interview conducted by CNN anchor Jake Tapper in a different state — Montana.

— Andrew Graham, Sacbee.com, 14 Sep. 2026

Definition of deference

Verb

Austrian by birth, celebrated for his artistry with cocktails and worshipped by the most refined drinkers in Europe and America, the man is a legend in the world of luxury.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 4 Sep. 2026
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

Definition of worship

Noun

Self, who was born in Harlem in 1990 and lives and works in New York, described her as being representative of the city’s spirit, rather than as a specific figure of veneration.

— News Desk, Artforum, 10 Sep. 2026
This, to him, seemed an image of Our Lady and her veneration.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 14 Aug. 2026

Definition of veneration

Verb

The claim was strongly denied by the Houthis, who follow the Zaydi branch of Shiite Islam and also revere Mecca as a sacred city.

— Eyad Kourdi, CNN Money, 16 Sep. 2026
Tuscany has been home to clay pits revered for fine terra-cotta wine vessels used for production and storage since the time of the Etruscans, and many wineries still use local clay in addition to venturing further afield in Italy and Europe.

— Mike DeSimone, Robb Report, 13 Sep. 2026

Definition of revere

Noun

And yet, when Szumowska and Englert portray Fyodor’s reaction to the couple’s pregnancy, the birth of their child, and a subsequent tragedy, Anna’s adoration for this utterly flawed man almost feels justified.

— Carlos Aguilar, Variety, 5 Sep. 2026
So, too, do the antics of his estate manager (a buoyant Sam Adegoke), always concocting money-making schemes, and the wide-eyed adoration of the girl next door (Amelia Mason, deftly balancing naïveté with seductiveness), who wants to save him.

— Rhoda Feng, New Yorker, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of adoration

Noun

Grande became the face of an ongoing conversation around health, and the cultural pendulum swing away from body positivity to the glorification of thinness, ignited by the proliferation of weight-loss drugs.

— José Criales-Unzueta, Vanity Fair, 27 Aug. 2026
Declinism, on the other hand, is an unrealistic glorification of the past coupled with the belief that things are steadily going downhill.

— Markham Heid, Time, 8 July 2026

Definition of glorification

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“Reverence.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/reverence. Accessed 23 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of reverence

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