Synonym Chooser

How does the verb venerate differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of venerate are adore, reverence, revere, and worship. While all these words mean "to honor and admire profoundly and respectfully," venerate implies a holding as holy or sacrosanct because of character, association, or age.

heroes still venerated

Where would adore be a reasonable alternative to venerate?

The synonyms adore and venerate are sometimes interchangeable, but adore implies love and stresses the notion of an individual and personal attachment.

we adored our doctor

When can revere be used instead of venerate?

While in some cases nearly identical to venerate, revere stresses deference and tenderness of feeling.

a professor revered by her students

When is reverence a more appropriate choice than venerate?

Although the words reverence and venerate have much in common, 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

In what contexts can worship take the place of venerate?

In some situations, the words worship and venerate are roughly equivalent. However, 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 venerate Pilgrims have long venerated the site, according to the Catholic Encyclopedia of 1914. Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 3 June 2025 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 Democrats don’t venerate every protest, as a Canadian trucker could tell you. David Weigel, semafor.com, 13 June 2025 We are culturally deprived, and the attempt to venerate McDonald for her unedifying turmoil backfired. Armond White, National Review, 13 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for venerate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for venerate
Verb
  • The vision of the Founding Fathers created a nation where individuals of all faiths can live with dignity and worship freely.
    Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 4 July 2025
  • Baseball fans, especially those who worship the New York Yankees, may want to contemplate a move to Florida.
    Madeleine Marr July 3, Miami Herald, 3 July 2025
Verb
  • Ethiopia’s lions are rather revered in Ethiopia, and are the country’s national symbol, adorning statues and the local currency.
    Mark Gray, People.com, 18 July 2025
  • The procession was led by a man carrying a cross on a tall pole, followed by a couple of Catholics holding a banner of Our Lady of Guadalupe, a popular image of the mother of Christ whom many Mexican Catholics revere.
    Niraj Warikoo, Freep.com, 15 July 2025
Verb
  • 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
  • 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

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Cite this Entry

“Venerate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/venerate. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.

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