He was quite the reverent reverend sitting so still in his seat.
He was quite the reverend reverent . . . nah, that doesn’t work. Sounds like I mistook the word reverent for revenant. Ick.
Yeah, yeah, I know reverend and reverent both imply that worship and respect are involved, and that both are adjectives. However, the adjective reverend is actually a professional title and must be capitalized when used as an adjective (usually preceding a noun).
Reverent is only ever capitalized at the start of a sentence.
Word Confusions . . .
. . . started as my way of dealing with a professional frustration with properly spelled words that were out of context in manuscripts I was editing as well as books I was reviewing. It evolved into a sharing of information with y’all. I’m hoping you’ll share with us words that have been a bête noire for you from either end.
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| Reverend | Reverent |
|---|---|
 — |
 — |
| Part of Grammar: | |
| Adjective; Noun
Plural for the noun: reverends |
Adjective |
| Adjective: Usually Reverend [Uses an initial cap] Used as a title or form of address to members of the clergy or a religious order
Worthy to be revered
Pertaining to or characteristic of the clergy Noun: |
Feeling or showing deep and solemn respect
|
| Examples: | |
| Adjective: The Reverend is a professional honorific with its own rules of usage (read “Abbreviations“). If using the with the title, spell reverend out in full and include either the first name or the first initial along with the surname. Wow, the Reverend F.R. Brimstone sure preached a fiery sermon this morning. Only abbreviate reverend (when using as a proper title) if you are not using the. Wow, Rev. F.R. Brimstone sure preached a fiery sermon this morning. The Right Reverend “is a courtesy title used when addressing a member of the clergy such as a Christian Orthodox abbot” (Hickey). Reverend Mother will see you now. Titles such as Very Reverend and Most Reverend, among other versions, are formatted the same way as Reverend with the or the abbreviations. Noun: Have the rest of the reverends arrived yet? |
We stood in a reverent silence.
It was quite the reverent greeting. “This was as faithful and reverent an adaptation as could ever have been hoped for” (Martin). It was with a reverent tone in his voice that he asked the bishop’s blessing. It was the reverent hush of a respectful audience. “He was not angry now, but spoke gently and watched her reaction to what he said with reverent patience” (McCorquodale). “Up the long hill to East Grinstead, keeping a steady, reverent twenty-five miles an hour, the traffic building up behind” (Murray). As the cortege passed, the crowd lowered their heads in reverent memory of their hero. |
| Derivatives: | |
| Noun: reverendship | Adjective: nonreverent, reverential, self-reverent Adverb: nonreverently, reverentially, reverently Noun: reverence, reverentness Verb, transitive: revere, reverence |
| History of the Word: | |
| Late Middle English from the Old French or from the Latin reverendus meaning person to be revered; a gerundive of revereri. | 1350-1400, Middle English, from the Latin reverent- (stem of reverēns), the present participle of reverērī meaning to revere. |
C’mon, get it out of your system, bitch, whine, moan . . . which words are your pet peeves? Also, please note that I try to be as accurate as I can, but mistakes happen or I miss something. Email me if you find errors, so I can fix them . . . and we’ll all benefit!
Satisfy your curiosity about other Word Confusions on its homepage or more generally explore the index of self-editing posts. You may also want to explore Book Layout & Formatting Ideas, Formatting Tips, Grammar Explanations, Linguistics, Publishing Tips, the Properly Punctuated, Writing Ideas and Resources, and Working Your Website.
Resources for Reverend versus Reverent
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Apple Dictionary.com
Dictionary.com: reverend
Hickey, Robert. “Right Reverend.” The Protocol School of Washington. Forms of Address. <http://www.formsofaddress.info/Right_Reverend.html>.
Martin, George R.R. “Top 10 Fantasy Films.” The Daily Beast. 10 Apr 2011. Last updated 16 July 2071. Web. n.d. <https://www.thedailybeast.com/george-rr-martin-game-of-thrones-writers-top-10-fantasy-films>.
McCorquodale, Robin. Dansville. 2012. <https://amzn.to/3xZP8sR>.
Murray, Stephen. Death and Transfiguration. HarperCollins, 1994. ISBN-13: 978-0002325110. <https://amzn.to/3DY8kLr>.
Pinterest Photo Credits:
His Excellency Most Reverend W. Shawn McKnight Praying, Bishop Ordination Diocese of Jefferson City, 6 February 2018, by Dan Bernskoetter is under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license, via Wikimedia Commons.
Revised as of 17 Apr 2024
By: Kathy Davie