adjure
verb
transitive verb
Did you know?
What is the difference between adjure, entreat, importune, and implore?
Adjure comes, by way of Anglo-French, from the Latin verb adjūrāre, which means “to affirm with an oath” or “to swear.” The root of adjūrāre is jūrāre, which means “to swear”; that word is also the source of jury (“a body of persons sworn to give a verdict on some matter submitted to them”) and juror (“a member of a jury”). In English, “to adjure” can mean to command someone as if under oath or the penalty of a curse, but the word is more commonly used in the sense of “to urge or advise earnestly,” and is synonymous with the somewhat more familiar verbs entreat, importune, and implore.
Synonyms
- admonish
- advise
- counsel
Example Sentences
Nicolas Niarchos, The New Yorker, 26 June 2019 And Congress is adjured by the Fourteenth Amendment to enforce it against the states. WSJ, 25 May 2018 Word History
Middle English adjuren, borrowed from Anglo-French ajurer, borrowed from Latin adjūrāre "to affirm with an oath, swear," from ad- ad- + jūrāre "to swear" — more at jury entry 1
15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
adjure
verb
Synonyms & Similar Words
- advise
- warn
- admonish
- teach
- counsel
- convince
- inform
- tell
- encourage
- coach
- persuade
- urge
- implore
- apprise
- exhort
- instruct
- caution
- guide
- alert
- beg
- forewarn
- induce
- acquaint
- shepherd
- propose
- brief
- fill in
- tutor
- familiarize
- mentor
- steer
- recommend
- suggest
- direct
- lead
- direct
- clue (in)
- show
- pilot
- wise (up)
- talk (into)
- prevail (upon)
Synonyms & Similar Words
- instruct
- order
- tell
- ask
- command
- enjoin
- beg
- bid
- entreat
- direct
- beseech
- advise
- warn
- charge
- petition
- appoint
- compel
- request
- require
- boss (around)
- counsel
- force
- authorize
- commission
- coerce
- assign
- superintend
- oblige
- supervise
- conduct
- constrain
- control
- manage
- lead
- oversee
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- obey
- observe
- follow
- mind
- keep
- comply (with)
Synonym Chooser
Some common synonyms of adjure are beg, beseech, entreat, implore, importune, and supplicate. While all these words mean "to ask urgently," adjure implies advising as well as pleading.
The synonyms beg and adjure are sometimes interchangeable, but beg suggests earnestness or insistence in the asking.
Both beseech and implore imply a deeply felt anxiety.
While in some cases nearly identical to adjure, entreat implies an effort to persuade or to overcome resistance.
The words importune and adjure can be used in similar contexts, but importune suggests an annoying persistence in trying to break down resistance to a request.
While the synonyms supplicate and adjure are close in meaning, supplicate suggests a posture of humility.