adore

1 of 2

verb

ə-ˈdȯr How to pronounce adore (audio)
adored; adoring
Synonyms of adore

transitive verb

1
: to worship or honor as a deity or as divine
2
: to regard with loving admiration and devotion
He adored his wife.
3
: to be very fond of
adores pecan pie
adorer noun

adorer

2 of 2

noun

ador·​er
əˈdȯrər
plural -s
: one that adores

Synonyms of adore

Relevance

Verb

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus
Choose the Right Synonym for adore

revere, reverence, venerate, worship, adore mean to honor and admire profoundly and respectfully.

revere stresses deference and tenderness of feeling.

a professor revered by her students

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

venerate implies a holding as holy or sacrosanct because of character, association, or age.

heroes still venerated

worship implies homage usually expressed in words or ceremony.

worships their memory

adore implies love and stresses the notion of an individual and personal attachment.

we adored our doctor

Examples of adore in a Sentence

Verb He's a good doctor. All his patients adore him. They adored shopping in all the boutiques.
Recent Examples on the Web
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Verb
This French onion pasta side dish is loaded with deep, savory flavors that our recipe testers adored. — Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 4 July 2026 To adore the literary greats but reject any modicum of pretension? — Adrienne Lafrance, The Atlantic, 28 June 2026 He is adored by the fans and respected as a mature professional by Aguirre. — Jack Lang, New York Times, 1 July 2026 At just 10 months old, William had the full attention of his adoring mother (here, on a trip to New Zealand in 1983). — Stephanie Sengwe, PEOPLE, 1 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for adore

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English aouren, adouren, borrowed from Anglo-French aurer, ahourer, adourer (with d restored from Latin), going back to Latin adōrāre "to plead with, appeal to, approach (a god) as a suppliant or worshipper, treat with reverence, admire," from ad- ad- + ōrāre "to pray to, beseech" — more at oration

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1572, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of adore was in the 14th century

Rhymes for adore

See All Rhymes for adore

Browse Nearby Words

adorbs
adore
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Cite this Entry

“Adore.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/adore. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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Kids Definition

adore

verb
ə-ˈdō(ə)r How to pronounce adore (audio)
-ˈdȯ(ə)r
adored; adoring
1
: worship entry 2 sense 1
adore God
2
: to be very fond of
adoration
ˌad-ə-ˈrā-shən
noun
adorer
ə-ˈdōr-ər, 
-ˈdȯr-
noun
Etymology

Verb

from early French adourer "to adore," from Latin adorare (same meaning), from ad- "to" and orare "to speak, pray" — related to oracle, oration

More from Merriam-Webster on adore

Nglish: Translation of adore for Spanish Speakers

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