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worship

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verb

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Synonym Chooser

How does the verb worship differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of worship are adore, reverence, revere, and venerate. While all these words mean "to honor and admire profoundly and respectfully," worship implies homage usually expressed in words or ceremony.

worships their memory

In what contexts can adore take the place of worship?

The synonyms adore and worship 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 worship?

In some situations, the words revere and worship are roughly equivalent. However, revere stresses deference and tenderness of feeling.

a professor revered by her students

When could reverence be used to replace worship?

The words reverence and worship can be used in similar contexts, but 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 is venerate a more appropriate choice than worship?

While the synonyms venerate and worship are close in meaning, venerate implies a holding as holy or sacrosanct because of character, association, or age.

heroes still venerated

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 worship
Noun
But the varied syncopation and intense emotional registers of Orthodox worship music informed his approach to an album that balances weighty introspection with buoyant production and evocative imagery. Hannah Giorgis Yohannes, Rolling Stone, 20 Oct. 2025 Markowicz told BridgeDetroit that the organization has started engaging with the community partners, cultural institutions, small businesses and places of worship that regularly participate in the festival. Micah Walker, Freep.com, 15 Oct. 2025
Verb
Hermes Trismegistus was the god of the occult and magic, worshipped by the ancient Greeks in the Ptolemaic Kingdom. Literary Hub, 7 Oct. 2025 Its followers strictly adhere to the 29 commandments of Guru Jambheshwar, which include the sacred principles of worshiping and protecting all animals. Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 7 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for worship
Recent Examples of Synonyms for worship
Verb
  • Now, the singer has dropped her Folded Homage Pack EP of remixes that venerated musicians Brandy, Toni Braxton, JoJo, Tank, and Mario previously teased on social media, with a new addition from Ne-Yo as well.
    Mankaprr Conteh, Rolling Stone, 24 Oct. 2025
  • The Democrat who venerates more government but sidesteps California’s failing public schools and crushing cost of living.
    John H Bolthouse, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • My husband loves that this particular style is infused with a touch of precious metal to give off a slight metallic sheen.
    Katie Jackson, Travel + Leisure, 26 Oct. 2025
  • And being this was a title fight, the crowd and everyone involved at UFC would’ve loved to see a proper finish.
    Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 26 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • One of Indiana's peskiest invasive plants, oriental bittersweet, was bought, sold and adored for almost 100 years in the United States before horticulturists started to raise concerns about the species.
    Sophie Hartley, IndyStar, 22 Oct. 2025
  • Clara adores them, and rightly so.
    Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 22 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • But it’s layered with a thick and sugary frosting of adoration.
    Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 17 Oct. 2025
  • Grande has been vocal in her adoration of Heap since the beginning of the Victorious alum’s career.
    Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 17 Oct. 2025
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
Verb
  • There’s a lot to like about the way the Sabres have played, though.
    Matthew Fairburn, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2025
  • Choi likes to precut carrots, celery, onions and fennel.
    Malaka Gharib, NPR, 25 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Destroy this death worshipping, terroristic cult.
    Jolene Almendarez, The Enquirer, 12 Sep. 2025
  • Hank Hill — stiff, sincere, propane-worshipping — wasn’t a joke.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 14 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • Her talents in that regard are catching up to the appreciation for her vocal chops, as evidenced in how she was nominated at the most recent Americana Honors & Awards for Emerging Act of the Year, kudos that wouldn’t come if she was only revered as a vocal stylist.
    Chris Willman, Variety, 21 Oct. 2025
  • Some cultures revere their older citizens as wise leaders.
    Lydia Patrick, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Worship.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/worship. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.

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