Synonyms of beseech

beseech

verb

bi-ˈsēch 

as in to beg

to make a request to (someone) in an earnest or urgent manner

parishioners ardently beseeched the local bishop not to close their beloved church

Synonyms & Similar Words

• beg
• petition
• implore
• pray
• entreat
• ask
• appeal (to)
• supplicate
• call upon
• plead (to)
• conjure
• importune
• require
• besiege
• solicit
• call on
• invoke
• request
• compel
• impetrate
• sue
• desire
• insist
• coerce
• cadge
• force
• demand
• bludge
• claim
• mooch
• sponge
• command

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• suggest
• imply
• please
• hint
• oblige
• satisfy
• appease
• gratify
• intimate
• placate
• conciliate
• pacify
• comfort
• quiet
• content
• mollify
• console

Synonym Chooser

How is the word beseech distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of beseech are adjure, beg, entreat, implore, importune, and supplicate. While all these words mean "to ask urgently," beseech and implore imply a deeply felt anxiety.

I beseech you to have mercy

implored her not to leave him

In what contexts can adjure take the place of beseech?

While in some cases nearly identical to beseech, adjure implies advising as well as pleading.

we were adjured to tell the truth

When is beg a more appropriate choice than beseech?

The words beg and beseech are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, beg suggests earnestness or insistence in the asking.

they begged for help

When is it sensible to use entreat instead of beseech?

The meanings of entreat and beseech largely overlap; however, entreat implies an effort to persuade or to overcome resistance.

entreated me to join them

When could importune be used to replace beseech?

Although the words importune and beseech have much in common, importune suggests an annoying persistence in trying to break down resistance to a request.

importuning viewers for contributions

Where would supplicate be a reasonable alternative to beseech?

In some situations, the words supplicate and beseech are roughly equivalent. However, supplicate suggests a posture of humility.

with bowed heads they supplicated their Lord

Examples Sentences

Recent Examples of beseech

As a sideline, Saddam also beseeched God to save him because God owed him one. —Amatzia Baram, Foreign Affairs, 1 July 2012

Although water officials constantly beseech Californians to limit their personal consumption of water, the real conflict in recent years, particularly during periods of drought, has pitted agricultural interests against environmentalists over the flows needed to nurture fish and other wildlife. —Dan Walters, The Mercury News, 15 June 2024

One such creator who lost work for beseeching ceasefire noted what a dramatic turnabout this was from the post-George Floyd activism of 2020, when influencers felt compelled to, at minimum, post a black square on Instagram. —Michael Serazio, Vox, 29 May 2024

Alumni who have repeatedly beseeched Vassar to hire a faculty member with an unbiased outlook (and with credentials in Israeli Studies) were told that Vassar is too small to warrant the expense of additional faculty. —Megan Tallmer, New York Daily News, 29 May 2024