Synonym Chooser

How is the word adjure distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of adjure are beg, beseech, entreat, implore, importune, and supplicate. While all these words mean "to ask urgently," adjure implies advising as well as pleading.

we were adjured to tell the truth

When can beg be used instead of adjure?

The synonyms beg and adjure are sometimes interchangeable, but beg suggests earnestness or insistence in the asking.

they begged for help

How are the words beseech and implore related as synonyms of adjure?

Both beseech and implore imply a deeply felt anxiety.

I beseech you to have mercy
implored her not to leave him

In what contexts can entreat take the place of adjure?

While in some cases nearly identical to adjure, entreat implies an effort to persuade or to overcome resistance.

entreated me to join them

Where would importune be a reasonable alternative to adjure?

The words importune and adjure can be used in similar contexts, but importune suggests an annoying persistence in trying to break down resistance to a request.

importuning viewers for contributions

When would supplicate be a good substitute for adjure?

While the synonyms supplicate and adjure are close in meaning, supplicate suggests a posture of humility.

with bowed heads they supplicated their Lord

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of adjure Despite the song’s topic, the music is joyful, light, as Carlito adjures Maya in Lingala, the language of Kinshasa and its environs: Listen to a voice calling you in the middle of the night. Nicolas Niarchos, The New Yorker, 26 June 2019 And Congress is adjured by the Fourteenth Amendment to enforce it against the states. WSJ, 25 May 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for adjure
Verb
  • The Context Diogo Jose Teixeira da Silva, who went by Diogo Jota, and his brother André died on Thursday while driving from Spain to England after a doctor advised them not to fly after Jota received minor lung surgery.
    Peter Aitken, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 July 2025
  • The Consumer Product Safety Commission advises that children do not use fireworks, including sparklers.
    Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 5 July 2025
Verb
  • Protesters were instructed to disperse before agents deployed what appeared to be tear-gas canisters and flash-bangs into the crowd, eventually breaking up the mob.
    Mia Cathell, The Washington Examiner, 11 July 2025
  • Shoppers are instructed to return the product to any Walmart store for a full refund.
    MSNBC Newsweek, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 July 2025
Verb
  • When more than a month’s worth of rain fell in 90 minutes just west of the United Center late Tuesday night, federal weather forecasters warned of possible flash flooding, triggering a chain of events that alerted some Chicago residents about potential danger.
    William Tong, Chicago Tribune, 14 July 2025
  • Life-threatening flooding was possible in western Union County, New Jersey, the National Weather Service warned.
    ABC News, ABC News, 14 July 2025
Verb
  • Nobody told them to take the president off the stage.
    CBS News, CBS News, 13 July 2025
  • Last Thursday, sources told Ukrainska Pravda that Voronych was approached by an unidentified attacker around 9 a.m. local time and was shot five times with a pistol before the suspect fled.
    Ronn Blitzer , Bonny Chu, FOXNews.com, 13 July 2025
Verb
  • In today’s business culture, we are taught to move fast, scale often and optimize endlessly.
    Sudhir Gupta, Rolling Stone, 9 July 2025
  • The Chicago Tribune reported that a San Francisco resident (perhaps someone who was seated near that miner) then taught this trick to fellow diners at New York’s steakhouse Delmonico’s, and the tradition spread from there, eventually shape-shifting to include shrimp.
    Karla Walsh, Southern Living, 9 July 2025
Verb
  • At the same time, Trump has ordered billions of dollars in federal research grants to be cut, which would gut research on cancer, HIV, sickle cell disease, and more.
    Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 15 July 2025
  • At his arraignment Sunday night at Brooklyn Criminal Court, he was ordered held on bail of $5,000 cash or $10,000 bond.
    Nicholas Williams, New York Daily News, 15 July 2025
Verb
  • That adviser counseled against saying anything.] Send questions to R. Eric Thomas at [email protected] or P.O. Box 22474, Philadelphia, PA 19110.
    R. Eric Thomas, Mercury News, 24 June 2025
  • There’s a scene where the lawyer is counseling the young man and his Moms are on the terrace just beyond.
    Antonia Blyth, Deadline, 20 June 2025
Verb
  • You’re asked to enroll your Wi-Fi smart thermostat in a bring-your-own-thermostat program.
    Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 14 July 2025
  • The department published a serious note to its Facebook page early Monday after the Free Press asked about it.
    Frank Witsil, Freep.com, 14 July 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Adjure.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/adjure. Accessed 19 Jul. 2025.

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