ADORE Synonyms: 119 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How does the verb 'adore' differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of adore are reverence , revere , venerate , and worship . While all these words mean "to honor and admire profoundly and respectfully," adore implies love and stresses the notion of an individual and personal attachment. // we adored our doctor

Q: When could 'revere' be used to replace 'adore'?

The words revere and adore can be used in similar contexts, but revere stresses deference and tenderness of feeling. // a professor revered by her students

Q: When can 'reverence' be used instead of 'adore'?

While in some cases nearly identical to adore , 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

Q: When would 'venerate' be a good substitute for 'adore'?

The meanings of venerate and adore largely overlap; however, venerate implies a holding as holy or sacrosanct because of character, association, or age. // heroes still venerated

Q: When is 'worship' a more appropriate choice than 'adore'?

In some situations, the words worship and adore are roughly equivalent. However, worship implies homage usually expressed in words or ceremony. // worships their memory

adore

verb

ə-ˈdȯr

Definition of adore

as in to love

to feel passion, devotion, or tenderness for an attentive, solicitous husband who clearly adores his wife

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to like

to love or admire too much adores her older sister so much that she cannot see her considerable faults

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to venerate

to offer honor or respect to (someone) as a divine power the Roman soldier was beheaded for adoring the Christian god

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to enjoy

to take pleasure in I adore those earrings—wherever did you get them?

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb adore differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of adore are reverence, revere, venerate, and worship. While all these words mean "to honor and admire profoundly and respectfully," adore implies love and stresses the notion of an individual and personal attachment.

we adored our doctor

When could revere be used to replace adore?

The words revere and adore can be used in similar contexts, but revere stresses deference and tenderness of feeling.

a professor revered by her students

When can reverence be used instead of adore?

While in some cases nearly identical to adore, 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 would venerate be a good substitute for adore?

The meanings of venerate and adore largely overlap; however, venerate implies a holding as holy or sacrosanct because of character, association, or age.

heroes still venerated

When is worship a more appropriate choice than adore?

In some situations, the words worship and adore are roughly equivalent. However, 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 adore Dolly Parton was universally adored across generations, political lines, musical tastes. — Dana Taylor, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2026 Meanwhile, the internet adores Zork, a guy in a diving suit with a flying headbutt attack. — Jordan Minor, PC Magazine, 26 Aug. 2026 Other moviegoers adored his campy but somehow restrained mania as the butler in Clue, or delighted in his nasty smarm as the concierge in Home Alone 2. — Tom Nichols, The Atlantic, 26 Aug. 2026 Among the Batman’s rogues whom the BTAS crew adored, Bane didn’t quite fit in, even beside relatively recent additions to the comics. — Daniel Dockery, Vulture, 24 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for adore

Recent Examples of Synonyms for adore

Verb

Markets haven’t exactly loved the circular nature of all of these deals.

— Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 27 Aug. 2026
Dark movie theaters, or creepy home basements, are the classic venues of choice for those who love supernatural scares.

— Chris Jones, New York Daily News, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of love

Verb

Right now the only person who likes Heather is Carmella, and that’s because Heather is throwing some work Carmella’s way and trying to find a law school apartment for her daughter Cat.

— Brian Moylan, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2026
Nvidia reported blowout financial results on Wednesday , giving Wall Street analysts even more reasons to like its stock.

— Liz Napolitano, CNBC, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of like

Verb

Other venerated South Side joints included Pepper’s Lounge, the Dew Drop Inn, and Theresa’s Lounge, the latter of which was tucked away in the basement of an apartment building.

— René Ostberg, Encyclopedia Britannica, 29 July 2026
Not asked enough by those who venerated Graham is why in death the patriot’s name must be associated with what’s so inimical to American prosperity and freedom.

— John Tamny, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026

Definition of venerate

Verb

Shankara advises that worshipping gods with names and stories through devotional rituals and sacred images (murtis) is an acceptable step for some people on the path toward a more philosophical understanding of an all-pervasive ultimate reality.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 28 Aug. 2026
She was promoted to worship leader, a job typically held by an older member of the church.

— CT Jones, Rolling Stone, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of worship

Verb

Deploy cunning and operate in darkness, like those shapeshifting, half-human, half-wolf creatures revered in German folklore.

— Danielle Parker, CBS News, 28 Aug. 2026
In a sport like golf, where grinders like Clark are revered, that sort of head-down, do-the-work attitude may be what ends up appealing to fans.

— Kyle Feldscher, CNN Money, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of revere

Verb

Now, in Season 2, Issa is on the lookout for signs that her boyfriend is crushing on another housemate, while Anton and Paul Baker keep a watchful eye on one another, as much to quell further flirtation as to savor it.

— Ben Travers, IndieWire, 27 Aug. 2026
For a moment, all that could wait, with Brady instead savoring the closing minutes of a 28-27 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday night.

— ABC News, ABC News, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of savor

Verb

After the September 2025 shooting, law enforcement said the social media companies were slow to produce information about the shooter's online profiles, which included posts idolizing of other mass shooters.

— Seth Klamann, Denver Post, 12 Aug. 2026
That era of Disney Channel was full of new movie soundtracks to play, dance moves to learn, and stars to idolize.

— Allison McClain Merrill, Parents, 12 Aug. 2026

Definition of idolize

Browse Nearby Words

adorations

adore

adored

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Adore.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/adore. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of adore

verb

Synonym Chooser

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

conscientious

Popular in Grammar & Usage

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Popular in Wordplay

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Games & Quizzes