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Synonyms

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
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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

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

The Season 8 finale saw protagonist, narrator and inveterate daydreamer J.D.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 24, 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

With that in mind, the shadow cockroach “Angels” projects into your kitchen may be just a bit of Peter Pan-esque play from an inveterate digital prankster.

From Salon • Nov. 7, 2025

He was an inveterate tinkerer and inventor, a lover of gadgetry and mechanical devices, a designer of machines and contraptions of all sorts, a dreamer of big dreams.

From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.