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
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
Noun
But Schiller won them over, approaching the site with enthusiasm and reverence. Nick Mafi, Architectural Digest, 29 Apr. 2026 The throughline of Kahan’s Vermont is reverence for a place that shaped him. Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 29 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for reverence
Recent Examples of Synonyms for reverence
Verb
  • Our Lady of Guadalupe is represented pregnant and venerated by devotees seeking protection and peace.
    Marie-Claire Beaulieu, The Conversation, 5 May 2026
  • People were so eager to venerate his remains that skulls of his magically multiplied.
    Zachary Fine, New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • Judges are obligated to give high deference to arbitrators and are expected to uphold awards so long as the award was not procured by fraud and the arbitrator didn’t fail to consider relevant evidence or follow basic legal principles.
    Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 12 May 2026
  • Years of static budgets, staffing turnover, a culture of industry deference and a sluggish response by federal regulators have left the agency unprepared to address a contamination crisis of this size and scope, said Demonbreun-Chapman and others.
    DYLAN JACKSON, ABC News, 6 May 2026
Verb
  • Those critics referenced the golden calf idol worshipped by the Israelites before Moses returned from Mount Sinai with the Ten Commandments in the Book of Exodus.
    Joseph Konig, PEOPLE, 16 May 2026
  • For nearly five centuries, emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties came here to worship Heaven and pray for good harvests.
    Xianda Huang, The Conversation, 16 May 2026
Noun
  • The veneration of the catacomb saints during the late 17th and 18th centuries came at a time when vast stretches of Europe, including Bavaria, were still reeling from the Thirty Years’ War.
    ABC News, ABC News, 8 May 2026
  • The Virgin Mary and her immaculate conception were to be celebrated, and perhaps no other nation threw themselves into the veneration of Mary that year quite like the Irish.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 8 May 2026
Verb
  • Characters that remain immensely popular and revered nearly 50 years after their inception.
    Ian Miller OutKick, FOXNews.com, 20 May 2026
  • In the Sixties, all the English dudes revered the lineage of Black American music.
    St. Vincent, Rolling Stone, 19 May 2026
Noun
  • Yet she’s viewed, like everything else in the movie, with an adoration that is nearly transcendental.
    Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 16 May 2026
  • There’s probably a smart, chilling film to be made about the terrors of smothering and relentless adoration — one imagines what Rod Serling would have done with something like this — but this isn’t really that film.
    Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 15 May 2026
Noun
  • The glorification of criminals who attack the rich is not new — think Depression-era bank robber John Dillinger — and experts say this is often amplified in times of income inequity and economic turmoil.
    Lorena O’Neil, Rolling Stone, 11 May 2026
  • Jewish leaders and analysts say expressions of support for terrorist groups such as Hamas, combined with public glorification of violence, have contributed to an environment in which anti-Jewish hostility is becoming increasingly normalized.
    Ariella Noveck, FOXNews.com, 10 May 2026
Noun
  • The two groups displayed a large balloon near the mall of a Trump-like golden calf, a biblical reference to idolatry.
    Tiffany Stanley, Los Angeles Times, 17 May 2026
  • Pastor Burns defended the installation via a lengthy public statement after critics compared it to the biblical golden calf, a symbol associated with idolatry.
    Tiago Ventura, Time, 15 May 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Reverence.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/reverence. Accessed 20 May. 2026.

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