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

Accessorize Your Existing Furniture Designer Amanda Jacobs adores the appeal of skirted furniture, viewing it as a finishing touch in any space. —Lauren Jones, Southern Living, 1 Mar. 2025

There are the usual ones left by adoring fans, celebrating her outfit choice (a metallic Annie’s Ibiza gown), hairstyle, and general existence. —Morgan Fargo, Vogue, 27 Feb. 2025

The brand is adored by hikers, travelers, yogis, and athleisure fanatics alike. —Olivia Young, Travel + Leisure, 27 Feb. 2025

This is nobody’s fault, and Katie adores Marnie, too, but who could blame her for feeling abandoned? —Judy Berman, TIME, 27 Feb. 2025

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

Rhymes for adore

• abhor
• abor
• afore
• ardour
• ashore
• backdoor
• before
• bookstore
• candour
• centaur
• claymore
• decor

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