venerable

[ven-er-uh-buhl]

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.

noun

1. a venerable person.

venerable

/ 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

Other Word Forms

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of venerable¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of venerable¹

C15: from Latin venerābilis, from venerārī to venerate

Example Sentences

A crowd of about 50 supporters and curious locals meet the candidate at Donkey’s Place, a venerable deli that serves a meatier cheesesteak than more-famous shops in nearby Philadelphia.

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None of this is to suggest that this six-part “Maigret” is anything less than a perfectly serviceable Sunday-night crime series, even a worthy entry among presentations of the venerable “Masterpiece Mystery!”

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Yang has emerged as a fan favorite on the venerable NBC sketch show, for which he just received his fourth Emmy nomination, by creating unexpected viral moments.

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It's summer 1998, and he's hunched over the turntables at New York's venerable VIP bar, Spy.

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He was speaker of the Knesset, the parliament, from 1999 to 2003 and before that he chaired the Jewish Agency and the World Zionist Organisation, two venerable Zionist institutions.

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Related Words

• esteemed 
• grand 
• revered 
• stately 
• venerated www.thesaurus.com