Synonym Chooser

How is the word supplicate distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of supplicate are adjure, beg, beseech, entreat, implore, and importune. While all these words mean "to ask urgently," supplicate suggests a posture of humility.

with bowed heads they supplicated their Lord

In what contexts can adjure take the place of supplicate?

While the synonyms adjure and supplicate are close in meaning, adjure implies advising as well as pleading.

we were adjured to tell the truth

Where would beg be a reasonable alternative to supplicate?

Although the words beg and supplicate have much in common, beg suggests earnestness or insistence in the asking.

they begged for help

How do beseech and implore relate to one another, in the sense of supplicate?

Both beseech and implore imply a deeply felt anxiety.

I beseech you to have mercy
implored her not to leave him

When might entreat be a better fit than supplicate?

The synonyms entreat and supplicate are sometimes interchangeable, but entreat implies an effort to persuade or to overcome resistance.

entreated me to join them

When can importune be used instead of supplicate?

While in some cases nearly identical to supplicate, importune suggests an annoying persistence in trying to break down resistance to a request.

importuning viewers for contributions

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of supplicate The windows do away with the plaintive or supplicating figures more common to Christian stained glass. Carolina A. Miranda, Los Angeles Times, 7 Dec. 2023 In short, the PCBE happily rubber-stamped the backwards and anti-science decrees of Bush and Cheney in an effort to supplicate the deranged Christian base of the Republican party. Kyle Munkittrick, Discover Magazine, 22 Feb. 2011 Now, finally, Farley, as chief of Ford for barely half a year, has come to supplicate before the narrative. Dale Buss, Forbes, 1 June 2021 Committees should draw power from their accomplishments, not based on which industries need to supplicate before the gavel. Ben Sasse, WSJ, 8 Sep. 2020 Two rows of little red devils bow at the magician’s feet, as though supplicating a supreme figure of dark and mysterious powers. Brigit Katz, Smithsonian Magazine, 4 Mar. 2020 But while its competitors were giving grandiose speeches and supplicating at the White House, the company’s content-moderation choices stood out as an example of a social network with a moral compass. Kevin Roose, New York Times, 30 Dec. 2019 To restore their good standing, executives must supplicate, with minimal guidance from the party-state. Isaac Stone Fish, Twin Cities, 14 Oct. 2019 Women run many Sufi shrines across Tunisia, prepare and serve food for worshipers and the needy, while women are allowed to pray and supplicate at shrines alongside men – a rarity at Islamic sites. Taylor Luck, The Christian Science Monitor, 8 Mar. 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for supplicate
Verb
  • Over the course of his prolific, three-decade career, the American filmmaker has established a signature aesthetic and working style that could convince any actor to beg him for a part — almost any actor.
    Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 5 June 2025
  • They’re eventually joined by DC Rose Dickson (Leah Byrne) who is tired of being confined to a desk after a personal meltdown two years prior and begs Morck for a spot on the cold cases team.
    Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 4 June 2025
Verb
  • If a lot goes unused for seventy-five years, the cemetery can petition to reclaim it.
    Paige Williams, New Yorker, 2 June 2025
  • After one of the last attempts before Dawn’s death, Erin petitioned the court to request that her mother be provided with psychiatric care.
    Sam Gillette, People.com, 29 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Supplicate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/supplicate. Accessed 13 Jun. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on supplicate

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