as in pious
formal
showing or having a lot of respect
a reverential attitude They spoke in reverential terms about their recently departed spiritual advisor.
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of reverential
The fight between the two very different billionaires is emblematic of a growing culture clash in the art world, as the old guard faces off with collectors from the tech sector who tend to be less reverential toward the market’s norms.
—
Rachel Corbett, Vulture, 16 Apr. 2025
Inaba’s portrait of the human-feline relationship is reverential, an expression of devotion in its attention to detail.
—The New Yorker, New Yorker, 31 Mar. 2025
His age, recent back-to-back bouts of cancer and ongoing radiotherapy complications notwithstanding, Book’s drive is so tireless that it’s become something of a reverential joke among many who interact with him.
—Max Klaver, Miami Herald, 20 Mar. 2025
While reverential to the brand’s history and its signature bravado, Puglisi brings a thoughtfulness to his work that his predecessors largely resisted.
—Ian Malone, Vogue, 3 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for reverential
Rachel Corbett, Vulture, 16 Apr. 2025
Inaba’s portrait of the human-feline relationship is reverential, an expression of devotion in its attention to detail.
—The New Yorker, New Yorker, 31 Mar. 2025
His age, recent back-to-back bouts of cancer and ongoing radiotherapy complications notwithstanding, Book’s drive is so tireless that it’s become something of a reverential joke among many who interact with him.
—Max Klaver, Miami Herald, 20 Mar. 2025
While reverential to the brand’s history and its signature bravado, Puglisi brings a thoughtfulness to his work that his predecessors largely resisted.
—Ian Malone, Vogue, 3 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for reverential
Recent Examples of Synonyms for reverential
Adjective
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The mobius-thinking at times almost seems like Medieval Zen, what with the emphasis on emptiness and silent meditation, and in fact that was what the Church fathers objected to most: too much quiet, solitary contemplation, not enough pious instruction.—
Jon Raymond
August 5,
Literary Hub,
5 Aug. 2025
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This may well sound like something that would’ve been played as a pious Christian allegory in another era.—
Dennis Harvey,
Variety,
3 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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The young man's friends have spoken out in support of him, with his soccer teammates describing a reliable, respectful, and kind person.—
Dan Gooding,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 Aug. 2025
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Educate yourself about the customs and values around you, and try to participate in a way that’s respectful and not appropriative.—
AFAR Media,
AFAR Media,
15 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Now, choosing to bake while exercising is apparently proof of athletic rigor, even spiritual toughness.—
Erica Sloan,
SELF,
8 Aug. 2025
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While religious affiliation has been dropping for decades, the spiritual impulse hasn’t.—
Arianna Huffington,
Time,
8 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
News coverage, starting with correspondent Joan Rivers’ outrageous taunts and then shifting to a far more reverent tone from 2006 to 2021, when Ryan Seacrest joined Rancic for live news desk and awards show coverage.—
Seth Abramovitch,
HollywoodReporter,
29 July 2025
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His surviving works — just over 30 in all — form a kind of visual music or poetry: reverent, revelatory.—
Jerry Saltz,
Vulture,
2 July 2025
Adjective
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Eventually, the ground will subside, leaving behind a crater about 1,000 feet deep and nearly 2 miles across, obliterating Oak Flat and its religious and environmental significance.—
Debra Utacia Krol,
AZCentral.com,
19 Aug. 2025
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Nashville faith leaders who gathered at Richland Park on Aug. 17 used their religious unity to support immigrant communities amid a recent wave of arrests.—
Andy Humbles,
Nashville Tennessean,
18 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
On Wednesday morning, the secretary-general followed up with a photo op alongside Trump; his language during the press conference was, if anything, even more worshipful.—
Susan B. Glasser,
New Yorker,
26 June 2025
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Conway, an Irishman like Fennell, rides a motorbike, inspires worshipful devotion in his crew, and can free-dive to extraordinary depths.—
Katy Waldman,
New Yorker,
19 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Reverential.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/reverential. Accessed 22 Aug. 2025.
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