inveterate

American  

[in-vet-er-it] / ɪnˈvɛt ər ɪt /

adjective

1. settled or confirmed in a habit, practice, feeling, or the like.

   an inveterate gambler.

   Synonyms:

   habitual, constant, hardened

2. firmly established by long continuance, as a disease, habit, practice, feeling, etc.; chronic.

   Synonyms:

   rooted, fixed, set

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inveterate British  

/ ɪnˈvɛtərɪt /

adjective

1. long established, esp so as to be deep-rooted or ingrained

   an inveterate feeling of hostility

2. (prenominal) settled or confirmed in a habit or practice, esp a bad one; hardened

   an inveterate smoker

3. obsolete full of hatred; hostile

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Other Word Forms

• inveteracy noun
• inveterately adverb
• inveterateness noun

Etymology

Origin of inveterate

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English, from Latin inveterātus (past participle of inveterāre “to grow old, allow to grow old, preserve”), equivalent to in- in- ² + veter- (stem of vetus “old”) + -ātus -ate ¹; veteran

Example Sentences

Duer was also an inveterate speculator and get-rich-quick schemer: “king of the alley,” as Thomas Jefferson derisively referred External link to Wall Street.

From Barron's • Mar. 1, 2026

An inveterate self-promoter, Salieri is determined to control how he’ll be remembered.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 18, 2026

Still, there is irony in Grantham, the inveterate bear, advancing an argument that could turn out to have bullish implications.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 17, 2026

But, in Ms. Vaill’s telling, he remained an inveterate gambler and adulterer, frequently absent from home.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 21, 2025

I thought of her having said, “Matthew will come and see me at last when I am laid dead upon that table;” and I asked Herbert whether his father was so inveterate against her?

From "Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens

Related Words

• addicted
• habitual
• hard-core
• hardened
• incurable
• lifelong