as in pious
formal
showing or having a lot of respect
a reverential attitude They spoke in reverential terms about their recently departed spiritual advisor.
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of reverential
The fight between the two very different billionaires is emblematic of a growing culture clash in the art world, as the old guard faces off with collectors from the tech sector who tend to be less reverential toward the market’s norms.
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Rachel Corbett, Vulture, 16 Apr. 2025
Inaba’s portrait of the human-feline relationship is reverential, an expression of devotion in its attention to detail.
—The New Yorker, New Yorker, 31 Mar. 2025
His age, recent back-to-back bouts of cancer and ongoing radiotherapy complications notwithstanding, Book’s drive is so tireless that it’s become something of a reverential joke among many who interact with him.
—Max Klaver, Miami Herald, 20 Mar. 2025
While reverential to the brand’s history and its signature bravado, Puglisi brings a thoughtfulness to his work that his predecessors largely resisted.
—Ian Malone, Vogue, 3 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for reverential
Rachel Corbett, Vulture, 16 Apr. 2025
Inaba’s portrait of the human-feline relationship is reverential, an expression of devotion in its attention to detail.
—The New Yorker, New Yorker, 31 Mar. 2025
His age, recent back-to-back bouts of cancer and ongoing radiotherapy complications notwithstanding, Book’s drive is so tireless that it’s become something of a reverential joke among many who interact with him.
—Max Klaver, Miami Herald, 20 Mar. 2025
While reverential to the brand’s history and its signature bravado, Puglisi brings a thoughtfulness to his work that his predecessors largely resisted.
—Ian Malone, Vogue, 3 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for reverential
Recent Examples of Synonyms for reverential
Adjective
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Those healthy enough were put through a daily regimen of religious education and physical schooling intended to train them to be pious and obedient.—
Ann Foster,
JSTOR Daily,
9 July 2025
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Moyers’ preacher-like delivery and emphasis on high moral standards in his commentaries led some people to criticize him as being a pious scold.—
Stephen Battaglio,
Los Angeles Times,
27 June 2025
Adjective
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European accounts show that the foreigners weren’t just dependent on mestres for help navigating life in Kongo but also respectful of their abilities and manners.—
Livia Gershon,
JSTOR Daily,
12 July 2025
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Like the series, Mask of the Phantasm does a nice job of catering both to kids and adults — this isn’t as intense as the Christopher Nolan films or as kinky as the Tim Burton movies, but it’s smartly written and respectful about what makes the Dark Knight such an evergreen character.—
Tim Grierson,
Vulture,
11 July 2025
Adjective
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Ostensibly intended to protect a church’s autonomy in choosing its spiritual leaders, the exception has since been stretched into a catch-all excuse to deny employees of religious schools all kinds of legal recourse.—
A.J. Schumann,
Sun Sentinel,
6 July 2025
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The spiritual leader has not met a sitting US president since Barack Obama in 2016, after numerous visits to the White House since 1991.—
Simone McCarthy,
CNN Money,
6 July 2025
Adjective
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His surviving works — just over 30 in all — form a kind of visual music or poetry: reverent, revelatory.—
Jerry Saltz,
Vulture,
2 July 2025
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Elena holds her headstrong, intellectually gifted friend Lila in reverent admiration, but the girls’ paths diverge when Lila, who cannot afford to continue her education, marries an abusive man, while Elena goes to university and becomes a writer.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Those generally include religious organizations like churches, synagogues, temples, and mosques in the U.S., as well as domestic nonprofit schools and hospitals.—
Kelly Phillips Erb,
Forbes.com,
14 July 2025
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Political and religious leaders such as Malafaia and Magno Malta embrace a vengeful Jesus willing to strike down non-believers and perceived enemies of God.—
Emi Eleode,
Time,
14 July 2025
Adjective
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On Wednesday morning, the secretary-general followed up with a photo op alongside Trump; his language during the press conference was, if anything, even more worshipful.—
Susan B. Glasser,
New Yorker,
26 June 2025
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Conway, an Irishman like Fennell, rides a motorbike, inspires worshipful devotion in his crew, and can free-dive to extraordinary depths.—
Katy Waldman,
New Yorker,
19 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Reverential.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/reverential. Accessed 19 Jul. 2025.
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