revered
Americanadjective
verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of revered
Explanation
If someone is revered, it means he or she is held in deep respect and devotion. Religious leaders, saints, and martyrs are often considered as revered. Celebrities? Not so much. There's a touch of the other worldly about revered. The origins of revered reveal something about its slightly scary, awesome nature. It comes from the Latin word revereri, meaning "to fear," and the addition of the "re" at the beginning is an expression of intensive force, so the word literally means "to greatly fear." People whom are revered are not necessarily those we feel most comfortable around; we are too busy holding them in awe.
Vocabulary lists containing revered
The Ear, the Eye and the Arm
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The Odyssey
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We Are the Ants
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Police launched an investigation in June and arrested eight people responsible for handling donations at the revered Hindu shrine in the northern city of Ayodhya.
From Barron's ● Jul. 19, 2026
Her candor has been revered as much as it’s been reviled.
From Salon ● Jul. 8, 2026
He was raised in the American South without money and revered his grandmother.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 1, 2026
Since 2013, Mboladinga has worn colourful suits and silently imitated a statue of revered revolutionary leader Patrice Lumumba, with one arm raised, for entire matches.
From BBC ● Jun. 28, 2026
Atahuallpa was revered by the Incas as a sun-god and exercised absolute authority over his subjects, who obeyed even the orders he issued from captivity.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
