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reverence

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noun

Synonym Chooser

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
But Trump also reverenced the tough job Emmer has in keeping the GOP majority together, with which Emmer is all too familiar after the chaotic last two years. Emily Brooks, The Hill, 3 Feb. 2025 Saint Heron remains dedicated to empowering future art practitioners by reverencing the spiritual act of creating and spotlighting artists’ unwavering devotion to the intergenerational language of expression. Dominique Fluker, Essence, 16 June 2023
Noun
German Romanticism, industrialization, and the later traumas of the twentieth century all layered into this complicated reverence. Amir Husain, Forbes.com, 26 May 2025 In an act of reverence, Stevens sets out to run the same 50-mile escape route his great-grandfather took, interweaving Quinn’s story with his own journey to run a collegiate qualifying time. Corey Buhay, Outside Online, 21 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for reverence
Recent Examples of Synonyms for reverence
Verb
  • Apollo, the god of archery and the son of Zeus, was venerated both in Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome.
    Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 14 June 2025
  • We are culturally deprived, and the attempt to venerate McDonald for her unedifying turmoil backfired.
    Armond White, National Review, 13 June 2025
Noun
  • We should be united about what’s at stake, compromise in deference to the facts, and work together to build what America needs.
    John Ketchum, Fortune, 24 June 2025
  • Even as Marine Corps recruiters promote enlistment as protection for families lacking legal status, directives for strict immigrant enforcement have cast away practices of deference previously afforded to military families, immigration law experts say.
    CBS News, CBS News, 23 June 2025
Verb
  • Public fan voting will take place in two categories this year – urban single or performance of the year and praise and worship song of the year.
    Paul Grein, Billboard, 12 June 2025
  • Set during one dizzying weekend at the Kell estate, home to billionaire couple Michaela (Moore) and Peter (Bacon), these top one-percenters are so worshipped and secluded that their immediate social circle resembles a cult more than a community.
    Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 23 May 2025
Noun
  • But Carlyle’s unrelentingly bleak vision, his insistence on hierarchy, his veneration of strongmen, don’t look so out of place in today’s reality.
    Jennifer Szalai, New York Times, 14 May 2025
  • His endgame is about ever more control, veneration, and vengeance.
    Matt Robison, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Emerging as the Druze leader of the opposition to the Syrian government is Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri, one of three holy men revered by Syrian Druze.
    Taylor Luck, Christian Science Monitor, 11 June 2025
  • Steve Jobs, the company’s late co-founder and Cook’s predecessor as CEO, established early on that the Apple brand was something to be revered and protected.
    Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 11 June 2025
Noun
  • The adoration for the Italian characters grew as both filmmakers spent more and more time working with their mostly local crew on location.
    William Earl, Variety, 6 June 2025
  • Hannah Einbinder, Natasha Lyonne and Jessica Williams embrace nudity, mutual adoration and finally learning to stop chasing each other's careers.
    Lacey Rose, HollywoodReporter, 5 June 2025
Noun
  • His assessment is based not on the slack-jawed idolatry of elite-media toadies, but on sources nobody else thought to ring up and poke.
    Harpers Magazine, Harpers Magazine, 26 Mar. 2025
  • Unlike most contemporary acts subject to mass idolatry, Wolf Alice’s online presence (which, historically, has been minimal) has never been part of the appeal.
    Sophie Williams, Billboard, 1 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Reverence.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/reverence. Accessed 28 Jun. 2025.

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