First recorded in 1375–1425.
Comes from Latin, from the past participle of inveterāre, “to grow old, allow to grow old, preserve.\"
Inveterāre contains veter-, the stem of vetus, meaning “old,\" which is also the stem of the word veteran.
Sign up for more Word of the Day!

\r\nEXAMPLES OF INVETERATE\r\n

The inveterate procrastinator always left things until the last minute.
As an inveterate optimist, she always saw the bright side of every situation.

\r\nIt's National Poetry Month, and we’ve created a challenge that really is for everyone. Submit now!","audio":"https://static.sfdict.com/audio/I02/I0281600.mp3","definitions":[{"partofspeech":"adjective","data":"settled or confirmed in a habit, practice, feeling, or the like."}],"examples":[],"imageUrl":"https://www.dictionary.com/e/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/inveterate_IG.png","accentColor":"#0063D7"}},"status":"succeeded"}},"meta":{"requestId":"_j2xb7xhIWaKlmGs9dB6-","requestStatus":"fulfilled"}},{"type":"fetchWordsNearby/fulfilled","payload":{"data":{"before":[{"slug":"twenty-fourth-amendment","entry":"Twenty-fourth Amendment"},{"slug":"twentymo","entry":"twentymo"},{"slug":"twenty-nine","entry":"twenty-nine"},{"slug":"twenty-ninth","entry":"twenty-ninth"},{"slug":"twenty-one","entry":"twenty-one"}],"after":[{"slug":"twenty-second","entry":"twenty-second"},{"slug":"twenty-second-amendment","entry":"Twenty-second Amendment"},{"slug":"twenty-seven","entry":"twenty-seven"},{"slug":"twenty-seventh","entry":"twenty-seventh"},{"slug":"twenty-seventh-amendment","entry":"Twenty-seventh Amendment"}]}},"meta":{"arg":{"word":"twenty-questions"},"requestId":"MUvjdctMMRaQ0ic3xE-Su","requestStatus":"fulfilled"}},{"type":"luna/fetchExampleSentences/fulfilled","payload":{"data":{"tdb":[],"gbg":[]}},"meta":{"arg":{"word":"twenty-questions"},"requestId":"EwfOVdjyIfsPkH4l5i6L9","requestStatus":"fulfilled"}},{"type":"fetchDictionaryResults/fulfilled","payload":{"slugs":[{"entries":[{"__typename":"Entry","audioPronunciations":[],"confusableNotes":[],"genderNotes":[],"grammarNotes":[],"headword":{"displayForm":"twenty questions","slug":"twenty-questions"},"idioms":[],"orderKey":99999010,"ordinal":10,"origin":null,"partOfSpeechBlock":[{"definitions":[{"antonymsConnection":{"edges":[]},"definitionSetChunks":"[{\"type\": \"def\", \"children\": [{\"text\": \"an oral game in which one player selects a word or object whose identity the other players attempt to guess by asking up to twenty questions that can be answered with a yes or a no.\", \"type\": \"text\"}]}]","examples":[],"ordinal":1,"subdefinitions":[],"synonymsConnection":{"edges":[]}}],"inflectionSets":[],"labelSet":{"labelSetText":"(used with a singular verb)"},"ordinal":1,"partOfSpeech":"noun"}],"pronunciationNotes":[],"pronunciationSet":null,"relatedFormSets":[],"sensitiveNotes":[],"spellingNotes":[],"synonymStudy":[],"usageAlerts":[],"usageNotes":[],"variants":[],"verbPhrases":[]}],"url":"twenty-questions"}]},"meta":{"arg":{"slug":"twenty-questions"},"requestId":"iycNcAzR52sEsZpIx5eQg","requestStatus":"fulfilled"}},{"type":"fetchResultsData/fulfilled","payload":{"data":{"url":"twenty-questions","displayForm":"twenty questions","canonicalSlug":"twenty-questions","content":[{"source":"luna","entries":[{"id":"u3bb48a285cbafaf0.-3bc55cee.14d9e7b2d98.2927","type":"normal","entry":"twenty questions","entrySyllabified":"twenty questions","entryVariants":[],"homograph":null,"pronunciation":null,"predefinitionContent":"","posBlocks":[{"definitions":[{"order":1,"type":"simple","predefinitionContent":"","postdefinitionContent":"","definition":"an oral game in which one player selects a word or object whose identity the other players attempt to guess by asking up to twenty questions that can be answered with a yes or a no.","synonyms":"","antonyms":"","cites":[]}],"pos":"noun","posSupplementaryInfo":"(used with a singular verb)"}],"origin":null,"originData":null,"supplementaryNotes":[],"variantForms":[],"variantSpellings":[],"referenceData":[],"relatedForms":[],"confusables":[]}]}],"nearbyWordOrdinal":161772,"index-rank-01":["twenty questions"],"index-rank-02":[],"index-rank-03":[],"index-rank-04":["twenty questions'","twenty questions's","twenty questionses","twenty questionses'"],"index-rank-05":[],"index-rank-06":[],"index-rank-07":[],"index-rank-08":[],"index-rank-09":[],"index-rank-10":[],"index-rank-11":[],"index-rank-12":[],"index-rank-13":[],"index-rank-14":[],"index-rank-15":[],"categoryId":"34","complexityScore":0.20388461771203004,"gradeLevel":"high_school","tunaSlug":null,"isFeaturedMetaSlug":false}},"meta":{"arg":{"word":"twenty-questions"},"requestId":"outLSOE4XphxpAkJF2QnS","requestStatus":"fulfilled"}},{"type":"fetchSpellSuggestions/fulfilled","payload":{"data":{"luna":["question","questionary","questionless","questioning","Sessions","sessions","four questions"],"tuna":["teenty","tent","went","tweet","tenet","trendy","twisty","twined","tween","TNT","tenuity","dent","tend","tint","twin","twit","vent","want","wend","wont","outwent","went to","'tween","out went","out-went"],"lunaWithSlug":[{"displayForm":"question","slug":"question"},{"displayForm":"questionary","slug":"questionary"},{"displayForm":"questionless","slug":"questionless"},{"displayForm":"questioning","slug":"questioning"},{"displayForm":"Sessions","slug":"sessions"},{"displayForm":"sessions","slug":"sessions"},{"displayForm":"four questions","slug":"four-questions"}],"tunaWithSlug":[{"displayForm":"teenty","slug":"teenty"},{"displayForm":"tent","slug":"tent"},{"displayForm":"went","slug":"went"},{"displayForm":"tweet","slug":"tweet"},{"displayForm":"tenet","slug":"tenet"},{"displayForm":"trendy","slug":"trendy"},{"displayForm":"twisty","slug":"twisty"},{"displayForm":"twined","slug":"twined"},{"displayForm":"tween","slug":"tween"},{"displayForm":"TNT","slug":"tnt"},{"displayForm":"tenuity","slug":"tenuity"},{"displayForm":"dent","slug":"dent"},{"displayForm":"tend","slug":"tend"},{"displayForm":"tint","slug":"tint"},{"displayForm":"twin","slug":"twin"},{"displayForm":"twit","slug":"twit"},{"displayForm":"vent","slug":"vent"},{"displayForm":"want","slug":"want"},{"displayForm":"wend","slug":"wend"},{"displayForm":"wont","slug":"wont"},{"displayForm":"outwent","slug":"outwent"},{"displayForm":"went to","slug":"went%20to"},{"displayForm":"'tween","slug":"%27tween"},{"displayForm":"out went","slug":"out%20went"},{"displayForm":"out-went","slug":"out-went"}]}},"meta":{"arg":{"word":"twenty-questions"},"requestId":"6eZUj_OhbaGQfx4drUl_8","requestStatus":"fulfilled"}}]},"actionData":null,"errors":null}

twenty questions

noun

Word of the Day