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
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
The Odyssey
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
We Are the Ants
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
The allegations of theft at one of India's most revered and politically consequential temples were made by a former accounts supervisor who says he was dismissed after raising concerns about alleged wrongdoing internally.
From BBC • Jul. 7, 2026
We were talking earlier about the things he learned as a younger man in Hollywood, but he revered “The Smothers Brothers.”
From Salon • Jul. 5, 2026
It is also a revered site for the Russian Orthodox Church.
From Barron's • Jun. 15, 2026
He’s just bracingly honest and notoriously wobbly when asked to verbalize the significance of everything and anything — from his poetically dense lyricism to the whole of his revered music career.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 9, 2026
What was in “olde bokes” was to be revered, and even when Chaucer was just making it up, he liked to pretend—though perhaps half in jest—that he was basing his work on a previous text.
From "Words Like Loaded Pistols" by Sam Leith
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.
