SUPPLICATE Synonyms: 48 Similar and Opposite Words

supplicate

verb

ˈsə-plə-ˌkāt

as in to beg

to make a request to (someone) in an earnest or urgent manner the minister reminded his flock that God is a being to be obeyed and worshipped always and not just someone to be supplicated in times of trouble

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 State and local leaders affected by disasters might supplicate themselves to the president in order to receive the patronage of disaster aid. —

Vann R. Newkirk Ii, The Atlantic, 10 Nov. 2025 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 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 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for supplicate

Verb

As a kid in Rochester, New York, Kane begged his parents for a dollar to play.

— Anna Rahmanan, thehustle.co, 9 Jan. 2026
While eating at the restaurant with her parents, Black begged for her own tasty drink and the bartender whipped one up, naming it after her.

— Greta Cross, USA Today, 8 Jan. 2026