Venerate

v.thoughtful, kindformal

What it means

To regard or treat someone or something with profound respect.

Reach for it when describing reverence rooted in moral, spiritual, cultural, or historical importance

The community continues to venerate the teacher who preserved its banned language.

everyday
honor
when respect is shown through a ceremony, action, or faithful remembrance
not when Honor covers ordinary respect; venerate calls for deep reverence.
everyday
respect
when dignity or earned regard should be stated without grandeur
not when Ordinary respect is much less intense than veneration.
formal
esteem
when high regard rests on character or achievement
not when Esteem remains measured and social, while venerate approaches reverence.
formal
worship
when religious devotion is literally intended
not when Worship is stronger and often theological; it is wrong for admired teachers or artists.
literary
revere
when profound respect includes awe or devotion
not when Revere is nearly equivalent but can sound more explicitly spiritual.

venerate an ancestor
Families gather each spring to venerate an ancestor who founded the school.
venerate a tradition
They venerate the tradition while allowing each generation to question it.
widely venerate
Residents widely venerate the physician for decades of rural service.

The definition and the example on this page are written here. The dictionaries above ground which meaning is being described, not the wording.