reverend
adjective
(used as a title of respect applied or prefixed to the name of a member of the clergy or a religious order).
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reverend
American
[rev-er-uhnd, rev-ruhnd]
/ ˈrɛv ər ənd, ˈrɛv rənd /
adjective
-
(initial capital letter) (used as a title of respect applied or prefixed to the name of a member of the clergy or a religious order).
Reverend Timothy Cranshaw; Reverend Mother.
-
worthy to be revered; entitled to reverence.
-
pertaining to or characteristic of the clergy.
noun
-
reverends
plural
reverend
1
British
/ ˈrɛvərənd /
adjective
-
worthy of reverence
-
relating to or designating a clergyman or the clergy
noun
Reverend
2
British
/ ˈrɛvərənd /
adjective
Usage
Reverend with a surname alone ( Reverend Smith ), as a term of address ( ``Yes, Reverend'' ), or in the salutation of a letter ( Dear Rev. Mr Smith ) are all generally considered to be wrong usage. Preferred are ( the ) Reverend John Smith or Reverend Mr Smith and Dear Mr Smith
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of reverend
1400–50; late Middle English < Latin reverendus worthy of being revered, gerund of reverērī to revere 1
Explanation
Use the noun reverend to talk about a clergy member of a Christian church, as in: "Let's ask the reverend if she'll marry us next week." A minister, preacher, or priest can each also be called a reverend. The word is often capitalized, especially when it's used in the form "the Reverend so-and-so." In the early 15th century, it meant "worthy of respect," a meaning that's sometimes still used today, and by the late part of that century it was being used for clergy members too, though it was earliest spelled reverent.
Vocabulary lists containing reverend
Vocabulary from the Magna Carta on its 800th Anniversary
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The Taming of the Shrew
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"The Taming of the Shrew" by William Shakespeare, Act IV
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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.
See Examples For:
The former reality TV host could not help but compare himself to the late reverend King.
From Barron's ● Jun. 4, 2026
“I don’t understand how as a pastor, he thinks that that’s acceptable,” Levy Armstrong, also an ordained reverend, said in a Washington Post interview Monday.
From Salon ● Jan. 20, 2026
Bass also faces a challenge from her left with Rae Huang, a community organizer and reverend, announcing a run for mayor in November.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 16, 2026
Meanwhile, local reverend Tim Edwards said prayers were being offered at St Katherine's church in Knockholt "for the family and all affected".
From BBC ● Feb. 16, 2025
The reverend nodded to the magistrate and showed me to my bed in a row of neatly made beds.
From "Blood on the River" by Elisa Carbone
"What happened was an appalling abuse of power and leadership that should never have occurred," said the Right Reverend Dr Pete Wilcox.
From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026
Rector of Thorpe St Andrew Church, Reverend James Stewart, said Tania "very much became part of our church community" and the news of her death was "very, very devastating".
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
Another church pastor, Reverend Lawrence Turner of Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church, said that historically with the ninth district, "we've been able to choose" our representative, but that appears set to change.
From Barron's ● Aug. 8, 2026
Silence Is Talking by Reverend & The Makers is reborn as the terrace anthem, aided by the trumpeter in the England band playing the familiar riff taken from War's 1975 song Low Rider.
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026
Richard carries Reverend Hunt’s satchel, heavy with his books and Bible and some extra clothes.
From "Blood on the River" by Elisa Carbone
No doctors, no lawyers, no journalists, no politicians, no reverends.
From Salon ● Dec. 9, 2022
They included two religious reverends, two senior penal system staff and two academics from the University of Sydney.
From BBC ● Apr. 23, 2022
They can be reverends, rabbis, priests or pastors.
From Washington Times ● Nov. 12, 2018
Seven District residents — three reverends, two rabbis and two retired judges — filed the original complaint to the ABC board in mid-June.
From Washington Post ● Jul. 19, 2018
It was on this trip that he had acquired most of his distaste for the reverends.
From "Cheaper by the Dozen" by Frank B. Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey
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.
