adore

verb

ə-ˈdȯr

adored; adoring

Synonyms of adore next

transitive verb

: to worship or honor as a deity or as divine

: to regard with loving admiration and devotion

He adored his wife.

: to be very fond of

adores pecan pie

adorer noun

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

He's a good doctor. All his patients adore him. They adored shopping in all the boutiques.

Recent Examples on the Web

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.

My heart is breaking for his family & his extended family who loved and adored him.. —

Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 4 Nov. 2024 Nola's owners adore their dogs, including their quirks, and hope that after learning about Nola, others will be inspired to adopt a rescue dog. —

Kelli Bender, People.com, 1 Nov. 2024 Art Fine art has long been a market adored by collectors. —

Garth Friesen, Forbes, 27 Oct. 2024 Pasta lovers will adore our Creamy Kale and Pasta Bake. —

Patricia Shannon, Southern Living, 27 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for adore

Word History

Etymology

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

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler

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

See more words from the same century

Cite this Entry

Style

“Adore.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/adore. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.

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Kids Definition

adore

verb

ə-ˈdō(ə)r

-ˈdȯ(ə)r

adored; adoring

: worship entry 2 sense 1

adore God

: to be very fond of

adoration

ˌad-ə-ˈrā-shən

noun

adorer

ə-ˈdōr-ər

-ˈdȯr-

noun

Etymology

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

Last Updated: 12 Nov 2024 - Updated example sentences

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adore

verb

Synonyms

Examples of adore in a Sentence

Word History

Dictionary Entries Near adore

Cite this Entry

Kids Definition