reverently
Americanadverb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of reverently
Explanation
Doing something reverently means doing it in a solemn, respectful way. A restless crowd waiting to see the Pope might sit reverently when he finally arrives. The whole congregation prays reverently together when a minister leads it in prayer. In fact, a church, mosque, or temple is the perfect place to act reverently, but you probably do it in many other places as well. Some fans stand reverently during the national anthem before a baseball game. And if your favorite musician is playing a concert, you might listen reverently, shushing anyone nearby who's talking. The Latin root is revereri, "stand in awe of."
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.
Muivah studied briefly in Beijing's College of Diplomacy, visited Vietnam and came back speaking reverently of Mao and Zhou Enlai - though he would later fuse their ideology with a deeply Christian nationalism.
From BBC ● Oct. 27, 2025
Francis said, gazing reverently at the box’s contents.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 24, 2025
Anything that takes the Olympics less than reverently would be welcome.
From New York Times ● Jun. 6, 2024
Combs, one of country music's biggest stars, reverently explained that he did not wish to revise Chapman’s flawless art.
From Salon ● Feb. 7, 2024
But finally, finally, finally the school clock clicked to noon, and we crammed our sandwiches down our throats, and then Danny Hupfer stood up and approached the brown, light, perfect cream puffs sort of reverently.
From "The Wednesday Wars" by Gary D. Schmidt
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.
