Synonym Chooser

How does the verb venerate differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of venerate are adore, reverence, revere, and worship. While all these words mean "to honor and admire profoundly and respectfully," venerate implies a holding as holy or sacrosanct because of character, association, or age.

heroes still venerated

Where would adore be a reasonable alternative to venerate?

The synonyms adore and venerate 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 venerate?

While in some cases nearly identical to venerate, revere stresses deference and tenderness of feeling.

a professor revered by her students

When is reverence a more appropriate choice than venerate?

Although the words reverence and venerate have much in common, 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

In what contexts can worship take the place of venerate?

In some situations, the words worship and venerate are roughly equivalent. However, worship implies homage usually expressed in words or ceremony.

worships their memory

Examples 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 venerate Outdoor altars venerating various saints are located throughout the town. Catherine Sabino, Forbes, 26 Sep. 2024 This history is often celebrated in scholarship on fiber art, which typically venerates figures such as Albers and Hicks for using the techniques of ancient Andean textiles to create modernist masterpieces. K. L. H. Wells, Artforum, 1 Sep. 2024 The prisoners’ remains were burned to ashes and scattered at sea to prevent the crowd from venerating them as relics. Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, 10 Sep. 2024 The classical education that conservatives venerate and claim to safeguard only became possible because of academic freedom that limited outside interference and reprisal in far more restrictive societies. Bradford Vivian / Made By History, TIME, 16 Aug. 2024 See all Example Sentences for venerate 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for venerate
Verb
  • Those who worship him must be helped to see that their rage and longing for protection blind them to reality.
    Marco Rubio, Newsweek, 2 Nov. 2024
  • The family worshipped at a liberal Episcopal church in downtown Atlanta, which, during the AIDS epidemic ministered to the L.G.B.T.Q. community.
    Jonathan Blitzer, The New Yorker, 2 Nov. 2024
Verb
  • Opium is revered by Carti truthers who treat his 2020 album Whole Lotta Red as the Bible, and denigrated by non-believers as a bunch of edgelords who come off as wannabe Satan-worshipers.
    Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, 4 Nov. 2024
  • The auction house also stated that bids came in from 39 countries and 36 U.S. states, highlighting just how revered Klein’s collection has become over the years.
    Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 4 Nov. 2024
Verb
  • 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
  • The four core Franciscan values are: showing compassion, making peace, creating a caring community, and reverencing all of creation.
    Journal Sentinel, Journal Sentinel, 10 Apr. 2023

Thesaurus Entries Near venerate

Cite this Entry

“Venerate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/venerate. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on venerate

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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