WORSHIP Synonyms: 119 Similar and Opposite Words

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

Some common synonyms of worship are adore , reverence , revere , and venerate . While all these words mean "to honor and admire profoundly and respectfully," worship implies homage usually expressed in words or ceremony. // worships their memory

Q: In what contexts can 'adore' take the place of 'worship'?

The synonyms adore and worship are sometimes interchangeable, but adore implies love and stresses the notion of an individual and personal attachment. // we adored our doctor

Q: When can 'revere' be used instead of 'worship'?

In some situations, the words revere and worship are roughly equivalent. However, revere stresses deference and tenderness of feeling. // a professor revered by her students

Q: When could 'reverence' be used to replace 'worship'?

The words reverence and worship can be used in similar contexts, but 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 is 'venerate' a more appropriate choice than 'worship'?

While the synonyms venerate and worship are close in meaning, venerate implies a holding as holy or sacrosanct because of character, association, or age. // heroes still venerated

worship 1 of 2

noun

Definition of worship next

as in worshiping

excessive admiration of or devotion to a person the worship of professional athletes who often turn out to be all too fallible

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worship

2 of 2

verb

ˈwər-shəp

as in to venerate

to offer honor or respect to (someone) as a divine power the ancient Greeks worshipped many different gods

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as in to love

to feel passion, devotion, or tenderness for the new father worships his baby daughter, and would do anything for her

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as in to adore

to love or admire too much thought that some of her fellow senior citizens worshipped the old days too much, observing that they weren't all good

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb worship differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of worship are adore, reverence, revere, and venerate. While all these words mean "to honor and admire profoundly and respectfully," worship implies homage usually expressed in words or ceremony.

worships their memory

In what contexts can adore take the place of worship?

The synonyms adore and worship 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 worship?

In some situations, the words revere and worship are roughly equivalent. However, revere stresses deference and tenderness of feeling.

a professor revered by her students

When could reverence be used to replace worship?

The words reverence and worship can be used in similar contexts, but 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 is venerate a more appropriate choice than worship?

While the synonyms venerate and worship are close in meaning, venerate implies a holding as holy or sacrosanct because of character, association, or age.

heroes still venerated

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 worship

Noun

The devastating wildfires that whipped through the hills and neighborhoods of Los Angeles this month destroyed some 16,000 structures, including homes, schools, places of worship, libraries, coffee shops, and one particularly charming Bunny Museum. —

Kate Lavelle, Glamour, 31 Jan. 2025 The president’s new policy violates religious liberty by defining direct service as a non-essential to religious practice and by creating a chilling effect for worship in certain faith communities. —

Chloe Breyer, New York Daily News, 31 Jan. 2025

Verb

Those who worship at Ibrox and watch him regularly would advise you to pay more attention to the clown show than the treble. —

Phil Hay, The Athletic, 21 Jan. 2025 What’s important here is not that a high percentage of Trump loyalists practice and worship as Catholics in their private lives. —

Peter H. Schwartz, Chicago Tribune, 17 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for worship

Recent Examples of Synonyms for worship

Verb

Those ancestors are to be venerated and eternally respected, not used as shorthand for the disparagement of their descendants’ art, which often explicitly exalts their history.

— Kyle Denis, Billboard, 11 Feb. 2025
Men's Royal Rumble This year, the Men's Royal Rumble is filled with plenty of deserving talent, with exciting newcomers like Jacob Fatu and venerated veterans like Rey Mysterio.

— Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 30 Jan. 2025