Reverence
n.thoughtful, calmformal
What it means
Profound respect expressed with awe, care, or devotion.
Reach for it when naming deep regard toward something treated as sacred or precious
The restorers handled the manuscript with reverence.
Choose between these
6- everyday
recognized worth needs restrained wording
not when Respect is less profound.
- warm
wonder and humility dominate
not when Awe can include fear without respect.
- warm
respect receives visible expression
not when Honor may be conventional.
- formal
devotional honor is explicit
not when Veneration is more religious.
- literary
loyal love guides sustained action
not when Devotion can exist without awe.
- literary
piety
religious duty and devotion are intended
not when Piety is confined to faith or duty.
Said against
3- irreverence
- contempt
- profanity
It naturally appears in
3- with reverence
The choir sang the old hymn with reverence.
- deep reverence
She felt deep reverence for the ancient forest.
- sense of reverence
Silence created a sense of reverence in the chamber.
Where this comes from
- wiktionary, English noun sense: deep respect or veneration opens in a new tab · retrieved 2026-07-26
The definition and the example on this page are written here. The dictionaries above ground which meaning is being described, not the wording.