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

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as in to like

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

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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?

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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 The rest of their work in the coming months will be to get other Art’s products — like its enchilada sauce that Gencarelli adores — into more stores and in front of a younger audience. — Katelyn Umholtz, Kansas City Star, 20 Oct. 2026 An outgoing kid from the suburbs of Buffalo, New York, who adored his little sister, Burch never regained consciousness. — Brittany Shammas, CNN Money, 17 Oct. 2026 No other branch takes such delight in going its own way, regularly giving a cold shoulder to titles the rest of the industry adores. — Nate Jones, Vulture, 16 Oct. 2026 The camera is always finding ways around the artist, sometimes examining him with the forensic disinterest of a doctor, the next close up and in his face like an adoring fan. — Damon Wise, Deadline, 13 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for adore

Recent Examples of Synonyms for adore

Verb

The judges love this all-over-the-place contemporary, but Julia looks a little lost throughout.

— Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 21 Oct. 2026
By this time, the interview has devolved into fun-loving chaos.

— Christine Terrisse, Los Angeles Times, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of love

Verb

On the other side is Gadi Eisenkot, a centrist former military chief who is temperate and broadly liked but lacks the political instincts to become a clear favorite.

— Ruth Margalit, New Yorker, 25 Oct. 2026
The Cougars stuffed all the ways Utah likes to run the ball until Dampier took matters into his own hands and posted a season high in rushing in electrifying style.

— ABC News, ABC News, 25 Oct. 2026

Definition of like

Verb

Reed, venerated for his solo artistry and collaborations with the Velvet Underground, is a quintessential New York City artist of the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s.

— Julia Teti, Footwear News, 25 Sep. 2026
The kids who venerate McQueen as a fashion figurehead these days, after all, are likely to be found at the Cyberdog, just like McGirr once was.

— José Criales-Unzueta, Vanity Fair, 21 Sep. 2026

Definition of venerate

Verb

Just a day earlier, he’d been spotted enjoying a pre-birthday dinner at Mamo in Manhattan, wrapped in a chestnut-brown fringed shawl that wouldn’t have looked out of place in Sienna Miller’s fall wardrobe.

— Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 25 Oct. 2026
The Dolphins had run 293 offensive snaps and not enjoyed an advantage at any point in any of them.

— Armando Salguero OutKick, FOXNews.com, 25 Oct. 2026

Definition of enjoy

Verb

Its magical forest is filled with talking animals, tree-worshipping mystics, scheming functionaries, and the Dowager Governess (Carey Mulligan), an enchantress who commands an army of uniformed coyotes.

— Alison Willmore, Vulture, 23 Oct. 2026
The long history of prejudice As religious studies scholar Michael Altman argues, the charge that Hindus worship false gods and idols took hold in American national culture nearly two centuries ago.

— Arun Brahmbhatt, The Conversation, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of worship

Verb

But it’s all set up that way to offer guests a wide range of options, and every bite is absolutely worth savoring.

— Heidi Finley, Charlotte Observer, 21 Oct. 2026
Below, just in time to savor the cozy autumnal days ahead of us, Przystup shares her rituals for making the most of the fall.

— Anna Grace Lee, Vogue, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of savor

Verb

Swann is a Chicago native who grew up idolizing Carlton Fisk, the Hall of Fame backstop who spent the second half of his career calling Comiskey Park home.

— Johnny Flores Jr, New York Times, 21 Oct. 2026
Upon investigation, police found posts the shooter made in an online community where young people involved in school shootings are idolized.

— Chad de Guzman, Time, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of idolize

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“Adore.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/adore. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of adore

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