Synonyms of beseech

beseech

verb

bi-ˈsēch 

as in to beg

to make a request to (someone) in an earnest or urgent manner

parishioners ardently beseeched the local bishop not to close their beloved church

Synonyms & Similar Words

• beg
• petition
• implore
• pray
• entreat
• ask
• appeal (to)
• supplicate
• plead (to)
• conjure
• importune
• require
• besiege
• solicit
• call on
• request
• invoke
• compel
• impetrate
• desire
• insist
• coerce
• cadge
• force
• demand
• bludge
• sponge
• claim
• mooch
• command

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• suggest
• imply
• please
• hint
• oblige
• satisfy
• appease
• gratify
• intimate
• placate
• conciliate
• pacify
• comfort
• quiet
• content
• mollify
• console

Synonym Chooser

How is the word beseech distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of beseech are adjure, beg, entreat, implore, importune, and supplicate. While all these words mean "to ask urgently," beseech and implore imply a deeply felt anxiety.

I beseech you to have mercy

implored her not to leave him

In what contexts can adjure take the place of beseech?

While in some cases nearly identical to beseech, adjure implies advising as well as pleading.

we were adjured to tell the truth

When is beg a more appropriate choice than beseech?

The words beg and beseech are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, beg suggests earnestness or insistence in the asking.

they begged for help

When is it sensible to use entreat instead of beseech?

The meanings of entreat and beseech largely overlap; however, entreat implies an effort to persuade or to overcome resistance.

entreated me to join them

When could importune be used to replace beseech?

Although the words importune and beseech have much in common, importune suggests an annoying persistence in trying to break down resistance to a request.

importuning viewers for contributions

Where would supplicate be a reasonable alternative to beseech?

In some situations, the words supplicate and beseech are roughly equivalent. However, supplicate suggests a posture of humility.

with bowed heads they supplicated their Lord

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of beseech

As Clare Malone reported for The New Yorker, Woodward beseeched Bezos to intercede. —Ruth Marcus, New Yorker, 4 Feb. 2026

As Trump sent thousands of troops and elite military ships to the region in the lead-up to the Jan. 3 raid, Machado beseeched him to intervene in her country and topple Maduro. —Cybele Mayes-Osterman, USA Today, 16 Jan. 2026

That didn’t mollify Pleasant View neighbors, like Nancy Pate, who attended that August meeting and beseeched the commissioners not to sign off on housing at the Glo Park site. —John Aguilar, Denver Post, 15 Oct. 2025

McKellen beseeched the audience at the Princess of Wales Theatre. —Brent Lang, Variety, 8 Sep. 2025