adore

verb

ə-ˈdȯr 

adored; adoring

transitive verb

1

: to worship or honor as a deity or as divine

2

: to regard with loving admiration and devotion

He adored his wife.

3

: to be very fond of

adores pecan pie

adorer noun

Synonyms

• cherish
• love
• worship

Choose the Right Synonym for adore

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 adore in a Sentence

He's a good doctor. All his patients adore him.

They adored shopping in all the boutiques.

Recent Examples on the Web

Ahead of Fall By Jake Henry Smith Crosley Cruiser Plus Vintage Courtesy of brand 24/30 Crosley Cruiser Plus Vintage $90 $65 Amazon Your music-loving kid would adore a Crosley Turntable. —Annie Blackman, Glamour, 17 Sep. 2024

The Bottom Line For the teacher who adores organization and sends home the kindest notes, the Noted by Post-it Printed Notes Gift Box or ban.dō Midcentury Stripe Desk Notepad will not disappoint. —Maria Conti, Better Homes & Gardens, 17 Sep. 2024

Kelce also tossed beer to adoring fans and signed football jerseys during the tailgate. —Angel Saunders, Peoplemag, 17 Sep. 2024

There are hair oils from Olaplex (a brand that J.Lo and Margot Robbie happen to love), the Supergoop! sunscreen Brooke Shields and Maitreyi Ramakrishnan adore, and more. —Jenny Berg, Vogue, 17 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English aouren, adouren, borrowed from Anglo-French aurer, ahourer, adourer (with d restored from Latin), going back to Latin adōrāre "to plead with, appeal to, approach (a god) as a suppliant or worshipper, treat with reverence, admire," from ad- ad- + ōrāre "to pray to, beseech" — more at oration

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

adore

verb

ə-ˈdō(ə)r 

-ˈdȯ(ə)r

adored; adoring

1

: worship entry 2 sense 1

adore God

2

: to be very fond of

adoration

ˌad-ə-ˈrā-shən

noun

adorer

ə-ˈdōr-ər

-ˈdȯr-

noun

Etymology

from early French adourer "to adore," from Latin adorare (same meaning), from ad- "to" and orare "to speak, pray" — related to oracle, oration