venerable
Americanadjective
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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.
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a title for someone proclaimed by the Roman Catholic Church to have attained the first degree of sanctity or of an Anglican archdeacon.
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(of places, buildings, etc.) hallowed by religious, historic, or other lofty associations.
the venerable halls of the abbey.
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impressive or interesting because of age, antique appearance, etc..
a venerable oak tree.
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extremely old or obsolete; ancient.
a venerable automobile.
noun
adjective
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(esp of a person) worthy of reverence on account of great age, religious associations, character, position, etc
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(of inanimate objects) hallowed or impressive on account of historical or religious association
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ancient
venerable tomes
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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
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Church of England a title given to an archdeacon
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
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.
On that basis the venerable bank could hardly have chosen a more suitable leader.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 20, 2026
After college, she moved to Los Angeles, performing as a rock singer and studying at the venerable Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute.
From Barron's • Mar. 15, 2026
The venerable Warren Buffett offered this simple maxim in a letter to Berkshire Hathaway investors in 1986:
From Barron's • Mar. 3, 2026
“Remember the Times” stretches back to Riley’s childhood in Harlem, where the playground of his elementary school abutted the parking lot behind New York’s venerable Apollo Theater.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 18, 2026
I inquired what he wished me to play, indicating that I knew by heart sonatas by Corelli, Tartini, Locatelli, and such other venerable Italian masters as were most highly esteemed.
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson
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.
