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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
The borrowing plan would expand non-education aid for cities and towns, increase affordable housing and combat homelessness, bolster security at places of worship and support construction and renovation of child care facilities. Gabby Debenedictis, Hartford Courant, 17 June 2025 Fountains were scented with rose water and perfume was part of cleansing rituals, celebrations, feasts, seduction and worship. Angelina Villa-Clarke, Forbes.com, 16 June 2025
Verb
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 The finale implies a desire to comment on the misogyny and wealth worship underlying stories like The Perfect Couple rather than reproduce it. Judy Berman, Time, 22 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for worship
Recent Examples of Synonyms for worship
Verb
  • 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
Verb
  • Hayden, who loves playing soccer and other sports, has even used his prosthetic hand to help play tennis.
    Michelle Marchante, Miami Herald, 19 June 2025
  • The Rockets' front office has a chance to make a big splash this summer, and players love to play under Udoka.
    Matt Levine, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 June 2025
Verb
  • His final appearance at Allianz Parque against Sporting Cristal in May was marked with the emotional presentation of a poster and a plaque, a goal and an assist, and a standing ovation from his adoring fans.
    Jack Lang, New York Times, 19 June 2025
  • Those more interested in a classic floral scent, however, will adore Gucci Bloom—a sophisticated blend of tuberose, jasmine, and Rangoon creeper.
    Kiana Murden, Vogue, 19 June 2025
Noun
  • After the mass, there will be food and performances from local choirs, and an outdoor eucharistic adoration.
    Post-Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 27 June 2025
  • The multimedia exposure drew the adoration of the era’s teenyboppers, who raced to spend their allowance money on T-shirts, lunch boxes and magazines featuring the face of Bubblegum Bobby, as he was known.
    Mikael Wood, Los Angeles Times, 24 June 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
Verb
  • The designs were situated over three floors, where guests were allowed to select a Levi’s item and customize it to [their] liking with graphics, rhinestones, and other embellishments.
    Essence, Essence, 29 June 2025
  • And every player likes to be in a good environment like that.
    Sebastian Stafford-Bloor, New York Times, 29 June 2025
Verb
  • Internationally aspirational with a presence in all the major markets, the house is revered for both its great value cuvées, and its prestigious Blanc de Blancs ‘Comtes de Champagne’ - one of the world’s best sparkling wines.
    Paul Caputo, Forbes.com, 27 June 2025
  • Two centuries after his downfall, Napoleon remains both revered and controversial in France -- but above all, unavoidable.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 20 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

“Worship.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/worship. Accessed 2 Jul. 2025.

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