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

They peg him as an inveterate showman who is less interested in Russia and China than dioramas of the new White House ballroom or a Triumphal Arch near the Lincoln Memorial.

From The Wall Street Journal

Fortunately for avid bibliophiles, Harper Lee was an inveterate pack rat.

From Los Angeles Times

Dustin is an inveterate miscreant who blows town for the Army.

From The Wall Street Journal

When we meet him in Season 1, Gi-hun is down and out, an inveterate gambler.

From Los Angeles Times

The president is having a mental breakdown in “Symphony of Rats,” a 1988 fever dream by the inveterate theatrical bad boy Richard Foreman.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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