Reverence
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.
Words to choose between 6
| everyday | |
|---|---|
| warm | |
| formal |
|
| literary |
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everyday
Fits when recognized worth needs restrained wording
Careful Respect is less profound.
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warm
Fits when wonder and humility dominate
Careful Awe can include fear without respect.
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warm
Fits when respect receives visible expression
Careful Honor may be conventional.
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formal
Fits when devotional honor is explicit
Careful Veneration is more religious.
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literary
Fits when loyal love guides sustained action
Careful Devotion can exist without awe.
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literary
piety
Fits when religious duty and devotion are intended
Careful Piety is confined to faith or duty.
Opposites 3
- irreverence
- contempt
- profanity
Common phrases 3
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with reverence
The choir sang the old hymn with reverence.
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deep reverence
She felt deep reverence for the ancient forest.
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sense of reverence
Silence created a sense of reverence in the chamber.
Definitions and examples are written for this site. How words are chosen Recording: Dvortygirl, American accent, from Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 Updated