reverence 1 of 2

Definition of reverencenext

reverence

2 of 2

noun

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb reverence differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of reverence are adore, revere, venerate, and worship. While all these words mean "to honor and admire profoundly and respectfully," 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 can adore be used instead of reverence?

The words adore and reverence are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, adore implies love and stresses the notion of an individual and personal attachment.

we adored our doctor

When is it sensible to use revere instead of reverence?

While the synonyms revere and reverence are close in meaning, revere stresses deference and tenderness of feeling.

a professor revered by her students

Where would venerate be a reasonable alternative to reverence?

In some situations, the words venerate and reverence are roughly equivalent. However, venerate implies a holding as holy or sacrosanct because of character, association, or age.

heroes still venerated

In what contexts can worship take the place of reverence?

The synonyms worship and reverence are sometimes interchangeable, but 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 reverence
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
Noun
That story now feels especially important, and Chung shares it with reverence for her legacy and family. Lydia T. Blanco, Forbes.com, 25 June 2026 In the end, reverence for the likes of Genghis Khan, Hitler, and Attila the Hun mistakes fear for respect, destruction for disruption, and raw terror for true greatness. Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 24 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for reverence
Recent Examples of Synonyms for reverence
Verb
  • The Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, a monastery with emblematic golden domes, is venerated by both the Russian and Ukrainian wings of the Orthodox Church as one of their most important spiritual centers.
    CBS News, CBS News, 15 June 2026
  • Olivier was venerated as a Shakespearean actor, playing many iconic protagonists in London including Hamlet, Henry V, Macbeth and, controversially, Othello.
    ABC News, ABC News, 10 June 2026
Noun
  • Your Chinese colleague speaks softly in a meeting; is that cultural deference or introversion?
    Andy Molinsky, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026
  • Japan’s players, initially reverential to the point of deference in Zico’s presence, came out of their shells.
    Jack Lang, New York Times, 29 June 2026
Verb
  • So people are looking to online forums to find that guidance, and to find those people to worship, in a way.
    Kate Aurthur, Variety, 26 June 2026
  • How long will families have to live on the edge of fear to remain on constant alert simply to worship, learn and gather in peace?
    Tazheen Nizam, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 June 2026
Noun
  • Fans all over, be that at Paris Fashion Week or online, await, ready to offer their veneration to their idol of choice.
    José Criales-Unzueta, Vanity Fair, 23 June 2026
  • Hawthorne may have been inspired to write it by the 1826 celebration of the American jubilee, which was marked by veneration of the Founding Fathers and rosy mythmaking about the Revolution.
    John Swansburg, The Atlantic, 15 June 2026
Verb
  • Iran’s former supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, reviled by some and revered by others, is set to be laid to rest after a sprawling multiday funeral ceremony planned as both a religious and a political spectacle.
    Babak Dehghanpisheh, NBC news, 3 July 2026
  • Unlike many coming-of-age series, Eva (played by June Diane Raphael) is revered by her daughter.
    Kirbie Johnson, Allure, 3 July 2026
Noun
  • Marylanders showed their adoration by naming Montgomery County for him.
    Sarah M.S. Pearsall, The Conversation, 2 July 2026
  • Meanwhile, since the Scaloni era’s unprecedented winning streak, Argentineans’ adoration of Messi has, at last, become unconditional.
    Jordan Salama, New Yorker, 27 June 2026
Noun
  • Right-wing incidents included conspiracy theories, glorification of the Nazi regime, and calls for a repeat of the Holocaust.
    Toby Axelrod, Sun Sentinel, 22 June 2026
  • But for the significant conservative Catholic population in Poland, the route's popularity amounted to an inappropriate glorification of evil, and after much lobbying, local operator PKS Gdynia changed the route number from 666 to 669 three years ago.
    Anna Noryskiewicz, CBS News, 1 June 2026
Noun
  • But this facial gallery closed with the Western Roman Empire and the rise of Christianity, which inherited a suspicion of idolatry from the Old Testament and Judaism.
    Cal Revely-Calder, New Yorker, 29 June 2026
  • The usual claims of occult idolatry, the sensitivity of children’s virgin eyes, and the fear of nurturing serial killers were at the heart of the debates, which had some comparing Schwartz to Jeffrey Dahmer and were only further accelerated by the intense graphics of illustrator Stephen Gammell.
    SPIN Team, SPIN, 22 June 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Reverence.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/reverence. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.

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