reverence
noun · verb
Simple meaning
Veneration; profound awe and respect, normally in a sacred context.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
rehveruhnsSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈɹɛvɚəns
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
Veneration; profound awe and respect, normally in a sacred context.
An act of showing respect, such as a bow.
The state of being revered.
That which deserves or exacts manifestations of reverence; reverend character; dignity; state.
A form of address for some members of the clergy.
verb
transitive
To show or feel reverence to.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- C1 · Advanced (estimated)
- Frequency
- Uncommon
- Typical Use
- Primarily written
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: Veneration; profound awe and respect, normally in a sacred context.
In this sense, reverence is a strong, expressive word and carries open devotion, so it sounds personal rather than measured.
- Emotional tone
- Positive
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Strong
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Affectionate
- Usage feel
- Warm and expressive
Where it naturally appears
- Personal/emotional discussion
- Literature/storytelling
Usage note
Reverence is emotionally heavy: it suggests deep or lasting feeling, not a passing mood, so it can overstate a small reaction.
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Related Words
Connected to the same idea, not synonyms.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Sense: to show or feel reverence to
Antonyms
Sense: veneration
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.