venerate
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
-
to hold in deep respect; revere
-
to honour in recognition of qualities of holiness, excellence, wisdom, etc
Other Word Forms
- unvenerated adjective
- venerator noun
Etymology
Origin of venerate
1615–25; < Latin venerātus, past participle of venerārī to solicit the goodwill of (a god), worship, revere, verbal derivative of vener-, stem of venus, presumably in its original sense “desire”; Venus )
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.
What "Christians still venerate today, in 2026, in the relics of a saint is the presence of the Holy Spirit," he said.
From Barron's • Feb. 22, 2026
This should matter to folks on the left and the right, to those who venerate higher education and those who vote in favor of states’ rights against federal overreach.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 13, 2025
It is, however, one reason why we venerate the founders.
From Slate • May 8, 2024
Texts from the Maya Classic period describe such burning rituals to venerate dynastic relatives or to mark political ruptures.
From Science Magazine • Apr. 17, 2024
An offering fell to the floor, the host, and Lana knelt to venerate and retrieve it.
From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole
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.
