adore

verb

ə-ˈdȯr

adored; adoring

Synonyms of adore next

transitive verb

: to worship or honor as a deity or as divine

: to regard with loving admiration and devotion

He adored his wife.

: to be very fond of

adores pecan pie

adorer noun

Choose the Right Synonym for adore

revere, reverence, venerate, worship, adore mean to honor and admire profoundly and respectfully.

revere stresses deference and tenderness of feeling.

a professor revered by her students

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

venerate implies a holding as holy or sacrosanct because of character, association, or age.

heroes still venerated

worship implies homage usually expressed in words or ceremony.

worships their memory

adore implies love and stresses the notion of an individual and personal attachment.

we adored our doctor

Example Sentences

He's a good doctor. All his patients adore him. They adored shopping in all the boutiques.

Recent Examples on the Web Fans adore and admire Ms. Kaur, and Mr. Sharma often translates the nicest comments for her. —

Tejal Rao, New York Times, 27 Jan. 2023 Anine Bing's seasonal sale includes everything from the blazers our editors adore for work at 70 percent off to sunglasses that hit for less than $200. —

Halie Lesavage, Harper's BAZAAR, 18 Jan. 2023 In honor of her 77th birthday, here are seven reasons people adore Parton: 1. —

Suzanne Slade, Washington Post, 17 Jan. 2023 Pollinators adore it, and the flowers are lovely in a cutting garden or dried. —

Terri Robertson, Country Living, 18 Jan. 2023 But my two little nieces adore the monthly crates with arts-and-crafts projects that come every month. —

Rhonda Abrams, USA TODAY, 30 Nov. 2022 My Flip star that any cottagecore obsessive will adore. —

Kelly Allen, House Beautiful, 4 Jan. 2023 Fans of modern minimalism will adore the Model S's cabin, which comes standard with a giant infotainment screen that controls almost all the vehicle's functions. —

Drew Dorian, Car and Driver, 21 Dec. 2022 Any woman in your life will adore the distinctive packaging and delight in the combination of kava kava root with other premium ingredients to give you the best sensual experience possible. —

Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 20 Dec. 2022 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'adore.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English aouren, adouren, borrowed from Anglo-French aurer, ahourer, adourer (with d restored from Latin), going back to Latin adōrāre "to plead with, appeal to, approach (a god) as a suppliant or worshipper, treat with reverence, admire," from ad- ad- + ōrāre "to pray to, beseech" — more at oration

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler

The first known use of adore was in the 14th century

See more words from the same century