noun / verb
reverence
REV-er-ens/ˈrevərəns/
Deep respect and awe toward someone or something.
The visitors show reverence before the sacred statue with bowed heads and careful gestures.
Etymology
The root's overlap between fear and respect survives in reverence: esteem heightened by awe, including toward holy places or objects. The prefix is perhaps intensive, rather than indicating repetition.
In context
I have a deep reverence and respect for the great research
I have reverence for George Lucas and I disagree with him.
More examples
- She handles her grandmother's letters with reverence.
- Their reverence for nature shapes how they care for the land.
- Members of the community reverence this place as sacred.
Forms
reverence · reverences · reverenced · reverencing
reverent adjective — Showing deep respect and awe.
reverently adverb — In a manner showing deep respect.
Similar words
- respect
- Broader esteem that need not include awe or sacredness.
- awe
- Emphasizes overwhelming wonder, sometimes mixed with fear, rather than esteem.
- veneration
- Suggests profound respect, often expressed through formal honor or devotion.