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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
Druze assume a constant closeness to God that does not require specific prayers or houses of worship. Jane Arraf, NPR, 9 Apr. 2025 Perry agreed to meet the women at their place of worship, the Masjid Jafar and Al-Rahmah Community Center in Johns Creek. Toria Sheffield, People.com, 5 Apr. 2025
Verb
There was a time when people went to worship to give their souls a spiritual bath. Bea L. Hines, Miami Herald, 27 Feb. 2025 Mary gives birth in a barn, and shepherds worship him. Judith Shulevitz, The Atlantic, 1 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for worship
Recent Examples of Synonyms for worship
Verb
  • In this new dispensation where might makes right, any appeal to moral considerations in the practice of American foreign policy is ridiculed as a deficiency of the weak while the amoral exercise of power is venerated as a virtue of the strong.
    Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 26 Mar. 2025
  • As Moutet showed in a remarkable match against Sebastian Ofner at last year’s French Open, this piece of tennis antagonism should be more often venerated as a smart tactic, giving the server another strategic option and the element of surprise.
    Charlie Eccleshare, The Athletic, 24 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Courtesy of Loloi The collaboration is rounded out by 20 throw pillows, which Brent loves for their ability to encourage individuality.
    Morgan Goldberg, Architectural Digest, 20 Apr. 2025
  • Some may love the public display, but emotions can run high and, in general, nobody wants to be proposed to amidst a crowd of tourists, traffic, or New York construction—especially if your love is on the timid side.
    Boutayna Chokrane, Vogue, 20 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • For the first time, people who have long adored his work finally understood his genius beyond just the writing and creating of great pictures.
    Stephanie Sengwe, People.com, 19 Apr. 2025
  • The next video is great for curious kids who adore animals.
    Annabelle Canela, Parents, 18 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • Joseph Lawrence, whose adoration of his first wife blinds him to all other women, is getting dragged to the strip club.
    Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 15 Apr. 2025
  • TikTok users were quick to share their adoration of the special moment.
    Ron Estes, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • 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
  • Saint Heron remains dedicated to empowering future art practitioners by reverencing the spiritual act of creating and spotlighting artists’ unwavering devotion to the intergenerational language of expression.
    Dominique Fluker, Essence, 16 June 2023
Verb
  • Whether Grandpa was in charge of making his famous recipe, helped Grandma whip up his favorite cake, or just liked to put in a request for his favorite dessert, these recipes are just like the ones Grandpa always looked forward to eating after Easter dinner.
    Jenna Sims, Southern Living, 18 Apr. 2025
  • There will always be Penguins fans who don’t like Ovechkin, and there will always be Capitals fans who don’t like Crosby.
    Josh Yohe, New York Times, 18 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • For a generation of music-and-fashion obsessives, Williams, 52, is revered as the original hip-hop eccentric: highly expressive, unapologetically audacious, unafraid to flout menswear conventions, especially the hypermasculine tropes ascribed to rap music.
    Chioma Nnadi, Vogue, 15 Apr. 2025
  • Miley acknowledged that everyone in baseball loved and revered Uecker but said the longtime announcer and former catcher was an even better person behind the scenes.
    C. Trent Rosecrans, New York Times, 7 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • Empathy rather than the idolatry of power will actually make our nation strong.
    Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Apr. 2025
  • Miracle workers, moreover, often become the subjects of so much popular devotion that their authority can begin to approach idolatry or rival that of the Church itself.
    Emily Harnett, Harpers Magazine, 28 Mar. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Worship.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/worship. Accessed 23 Apr. 2025.

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