worship 1 of 2

Definition of worshipnext

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
Authorities eventually confiscated the church’s property and shut down its physical worship space. Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 14 May 2026 Some people have said this is a form of idol worship. Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 12 May 2026
Verb
We’re not created to be worshiped. Stephanie Nolasco, FOXNews.com, 14 May 2026 Dungo’s graphic novel blends this youthful love story with the history of surfing, something Kristen deeply respects, worshipping at the altar of history’s famous surfers in an almost existential fashion. Tomris Laffly, Variety, 13 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for worship
Recent Examples of Synonyms for worship
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
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
Verb
  • Our young hero loves the adventure of being on an airplane for the first time.
    Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 16 May 2026
  • He was truly loved by everyone and will be missed.
    Charlotte Phillipp, PEOPLE, 16 May 2026
Verb
  • Before long, he is totally shunned from the scene that once adored him.
    Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 17 May 2026
  • Rose petals thrown into the air slightly obstructed the view of her adoring fans like a beautiful red snowstorm.
    Maxwell Adler, Vanity Fair, 15 May 2026
Noun
  • By the nail holes above and beside the worshiping altar, the household hung garlands.
    Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 14 Feb. 2026
  • Afternoons are made for fresh piña coladas, languid sun worshipping, and offshore adventures on motorboats fully stocked with snorkels, fins, and local beer.
    Rosalyn Wikeley, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Jan. 2026
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
  • The Crusaders do not like to share.
    Don Norcross, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 May 2026
  • Group of beginners, hobbyists and professionals who like to take and share photos.
    Staff Report, Baltimore Sun, 13 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

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

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