venerate

venerate
 
verb | VEN-uh-rayt
 
What It Means
 
To venerate someone or something is to feel or show deep respect for them because they are considered great, holy, etc.
 
// Her best-selling trilogy led to her becoming a writer venerated by generations of admirers.

venerate
verb
ven·;er·;ate ;ve-n;-;r;t
venerated; venerating
Synonyms of venerate
transitive verb

1
: to regard with reverential respect or with admiring deference
2
: to honor (an icon, a relic, etc.) with a ritual act of devotion
venerator
;ve-n;-;r;-t;r
 noun


Did you know?
Among the pantheon of ancient Roman deities, has any been so venerated—that is, deeply respected—over the centuries as Venus, goddess of love and beauty? Of course, one may personally prefer Vulcan or, um, Robigus (the god associated with wheat blight), but from Venus de Milo to the classic pop song “Venus,” Venus has inspired far more enduring reverence. To venerate something or someone—whether an artist or a saint—is to hold them in similarly high regard, which makes sense given venerate’s origins. The word comes from the Latin verb vener;r;, which can mean “to solicit the good will of,” “to worship,” “to pay homage to,” and “to hold in awe.” That verb, in turn, is related to—you guessed it—Venus.

Synonyms
adore
deify
glorify
revere
reverence
worship
Choose the Right Synonym for venerate

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 venerate in a Sentence
a writer venerated by generations of admirers
She is venerated as a saint.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The first woman to lead Mexico is also Mexico's first president of Jewish ancestry, notable in a country whose Spanish colonial roots are Catholic and millions venerate the Virgin of Guadalupe.
—Lauren Villagran, USA TODAY, 1 Oct. 2024
Cacao was used by the pre-Columbian populations of the Maya and Aztecs, who venerated it as a sacred food.
—Alessandra Signorelli, Vogue, 19 Nov. 2024
The word is divine; God is best worshipped by venerating his language.
—Jonathon Keats, Forbes, 29 Oct. 2024
The people would create saints out of their ancestors and venerate them under the disguise of religion.
—Damien Scott, Billboard, 3 Oct. 2024

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verehren