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adjure

verb
ad·​jure | \ ə-ˈju̇r How to pronounce adjure (audio) \
adjured; adjuring

Definition of adjure

transitive verb

1 : to command solemnly under or as if under oath or penalty of a curse
2 : to urge or advise earnestly
Synonyms Choose the Right Synonym What is the Difference Between adjure,entreat, importune, And implore? Example Sentences Learn More about adjure

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Synonyms for adjure

Synonyms

admonish, advise, counsel

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Choose the Right Synonym for adjure

beg, entreat, beseech, implore, supplicate, adjure, importune mean to ask urgently. beg suggests earnestness or insistence in the asking. they begged for help entreat implies an effort to persuade or to overcome resistance. entreated me to join them beseech and implore imply a deeply felt anxiety. I beseech you to have mercy implored her not to leave him supplicate suggests a posture of humility. with bowed heads they supplicated their Lord adjure implies advising as well as pleading. we were adjured to tell the truth importune suggests an annoying persistence in trying to break down resistance to a request. importuning viewers for contributions

What is the Difference Between adjure,entreat, importune, And implore?

Adjure and its synonyms "entreat," "importune," and "implore" all mean "to ask earnestly." "Entreat" implies an effort to persuade or overcome resistance. "Importune" goes further, adding a sense of annoying persistence in trying to break down resistance to a request. "Implore," on the other hand, suggests a great urgency or anguished appeal on the part of the speaker. "Adjure" implies advising as well as pleading, and is sometimes accompanied by the invocation of something sacred. Be careful not to confuse "adjure" with abjure, meaning "to renounce solemnly" or "to abstain from." Both words are rooted in Latin jurare, meaning "to swear," but "adjure" includes the prefix ad-, meaning "to" or "toward," whereas "abjure" draws on ab-, meaning "from" or "away."

Examples of adjure in a Sentence

He adjured his followers to remain faithful to the cause. adjured them not to break the drug laws of any of the countries they would be visiting

Recent Examples on the Web

 Despite the song’s topic, the music is joyful, light, as Carlito adjures Maya in Lingala, the language of Kinshasa and its environs: Listen to a voice calling you in the middle of the night. — Nicolas Niarchos, The New Yorker, "The Death of Simaro Lutumba Closes a Chapter of Congolese Music," 26 June 2019 And Congress is adjured by the Fourteenth Amendment to enforce it against the states. — WSJ, "Constitution Protects Arms, Not Gambling," 25 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'adjure.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of adjure

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

History and Etymology for adjure

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

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More Definitions for adjure

adjure

verb
How to pronounce adjure (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of adjure

formal : to urge or command (someone) to do something

See the full definition for adjure in the English Language Learners Dictionary

More from Merriam-Webster on adjure

Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with adjure

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for adjure

Britannica English: Translation of adjure for Arabic Speakers

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