What does entreated mean?
"Entreated" is the past tense of the verb "entreat", which means to ask someone earnestly or anxiously to do something. It belongs to a formal register and appears most often in literature, historical writing, and elevated speech rather than everyday conversation. To say that someone entreated another person is to convey urgency and sincerity: they did not merely request something, they pleaded for it, often with visible emotion or desperation. The word derives ultimately from Latin tractare, meaning "to handle" or "to deal with", entering English through Old French in the medieval period. Its noun form, "entreaty", refers to the plea itself, while the adverb "entreatingly" describes the manner of someone making such an appeal. Because it is unmistakably literary, using "entreated" signals deliberate formality and can lend gravity to narrative prose. Writers reach for it when ordinary verbs like "asked" would undersell the emotional stakes of the moment being described.
verb"Entreated" is the past tense and past participle of "entreat", meaning to ask someone earnestly or anxiously to do something; to plead or beseech.
- To ask someone earnestly or anxiously to do something; to plead with or beseech.
"She entreated the judge to show mercy, but her plea went unheard."
"The villagers entreated the governor to spare their homes from demolition."
"He entreated her forgiveness on bended knee, but she had already made up her mind."
When Shakespeare's characters entreat, they aren't asking politely — they're begging as if their lives depend on it.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of entreated
"Entreat" entered English in the late Middle Ages via Anglo-Norman and Old French "entraiter", formed from the prefix en- plus "traiter" (to treat), which traces back to the Latin verb "tractare", meaning to handle, manage, or deal with. The original sense was closer to "to treat" or "to negotiate", but over time it narrowed in English to mean treating with someone through earnest pleading — hence its modern sense of begging or beseeching. Cognates sharing the same Latin root include "treaty", "retreat", and "treatise".
Related word forms
How entreated is actually used
Formal, literary, and somewhat archaic in modern usage. It carries an emotional weight stronger than "ask" or "request", suggesting urgency or desperation on the part of the speaker. Common in literature, legal rhetoric, and historical texts.
Easily confused with entreated
"Entrained" means carried away by a flow (as in fluid dynamics) or boarded a train, whereas "entreated" means earnestly begged or pleaded.