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Is it a correct way to use opposite of word "pray". If not then please help me with writing this sentence in correct way.

  1. Remember me in your prayers.

  2. Remember me in your curses.

(I've never heard of this sentence i.e 2nd one, but I just translated it literally from my native language to English)

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    I don't think that there are any antonyms for pray in English. Curse is the antonym of bless.
    – Mick
    Nov 15, 2016 at 13:23
  • Then how do we request/ask somebody to curse(considering it antonym of prayers) us. Like we say Remember me in your prayers, what will be its converse/inverse?
    – Saqeeb
    Nov 15, 2016 at 13:26
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    A prayer is really a plea to a higher authority, usually but not necessarily God. You can, of course, ask for someone to be cursed. I suppose that is a kind of prayer.
    – Mick
    Nov 15, 2016 at 13:31
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    You might be thinking of bless and curse. I can bless you or curse you. Pray doesn't really have an opposite that I can think of.
    – ColleenV
    Nov 15, 2016 at 13:53

1 Answer 1

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You are misinterpreting the use of pray.

A prayer is a request for something to happen.
That can be a good thing or a bad thing.

It may not be considered very holy to pray for someone to be cursed but it is possible. It was certainly common in earlier times to pray before a battle for your opponents to be killed easily.

Indeed in 1745 it was proposed that an additional verse be added to the English National Anthem - which is essentially a prayer set to music:

Lord, grant that Marshal Wade
May by thy mighty aid
Victory bring.
May he sedition hush
and like a torrent rush,
Rebellious Scots to crush.
God save the King.

The verse was not ever added to the anthem.

So to address your example sentences: Remember me in your curses would be reworded as Remember me badly in your prayers or something similar.

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  • Okay! It was helpful. But It if you can tell me use of pray as a bad thing in above sentences that will clear up my confusion
    – Saqeeb
    Nov 15, 2016 at 13:58
  • @Khan - What exactly do you mean by "use of pray as a bad thing"? To pray just means to ask for something. You can ask for bad things, but like Chenmunka says, that doesn't mean "pray" means a bad thing.
    – stangdon
    Nov 15, 2016 at 17:12
  • @stangdon: I mean how can we use word pray in a negative sense in above sentence. Is it correct to say "Remember me in your curses" ?
    – Saqeeb
    Nov 15, 2016 at 18:35
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    @Khan - Yes, but "pray" doesn't have a specific negative sense. It's like asking "Can I use the word 'ask' in a negative sense?" "Curse" is not the negative sense of "pray" or "prayer". The best way I can think of to phrase what you want is something like "Remember to pray for bad things to happen to me."
    – stangdon
    Nov 15, 2016 at 18:39
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    the thing is that it is also very unlikely to ask someone to wish you harm (or pray for bad things to happen to you). "Remember to curse me in your prayers" perhaps.
    – eques
    Nov 15, 2016 at 18:57

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