venerable

American  

[ven-er-uh-buhl] / ˈvɛn ər ə bəl /

adjective

1. commanding respect because of great age or impressive dignity; worthy of veneration or reverence, as because of high office or noble character.

   a venerable member of Congress.

2. a title for someone proclaimed by the Roman Catholic Church to have attained the first degree of sanctity or of an Anglican archdeacon.

3. (of places, buildings, etc.) hallowed by religious, historic, or other lofty associations.

   the venerable halls of the abbey.

4. impressive or interesting because of age, antique appearance, etc..

   a venerable oak tree.

5. extremely old or obsolete; ancient.

   a venerable automobile.

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noun

1. a venerable person.

venerable British  

/ ˈvɛnərəbəl /

adjective

1. (esp of a person) worthy of reverence on account of great age, religious associations, character, position, etc

2. (of inanimate objects) hallowed or impressive on account of historical or religious association

3. ancient

   venerable tomes

4. RC Church a title bestowed on a deceased person when the first stage of his canonization has been accomplished and his holiness has been recognized in a decree of the official Church

5. Church of England a title given to an archdeacon

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Other Word Forms

• quasi-venerable adjective
• quasi-venerably adverb
• unvenerability noun
• unvenerable adjective
• unvenerableness noun
• unvenerably adverb
• venerability noun
• venerableness noun
• venerably adverb

Etymology

Origin of venerable

1400–50; late Middle English < Latin venerābilis, equivalent to venerā ( rī ) to venerate + -bilis -ble

Explanation

To be venerable is to be admired and respected because of your status or age. You become venerable by achieving great things or just by living long enough. The adjective venerable means "admired" and "respected" — it should describe how you feel about old folks and bosses, for example. It describes the wise old man at the top of the mountain who tells you the meaning of life. As a noun, the Venerable refers to someone high up in a religion, usually Christian. In fact, Saint Bede, who is sometimes called the Father of English History, is often referred to as Bede the Venerable.

Example Sentences

Investigators discovered a link to Bagur, who is a business coach rival of Dini's as well as being the 69-year-old "venerable master" of the Athanor lodge.

From Barron's • Mar. 30, 2026

The venerable Warren Buffett offered this simple maxim in a letter to Berkshire Hathaway investors in 1986:

From Barron's • Mar. 3, 2026

Spaces are well-defined and venerable terms in physics and math.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 26, 2026

A venerable City of London institution is being snapped up by a U.S. asset manager in a nearly $14 billion deal that comes amid growing fears that AI will severely disrupt the finance sector.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 12, 2026

It has a broad green, an old-fashioned Main Street, a handsome campus with a settled and venerable air, and leafy residential streets.

From "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson

Related Words

• esteemed
• grand
• revered
• stately
• venerated