venerate
Americanverb (used with object)
-
venerates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
venerated,
past participle, past
-
venerating
present participle
verb
-
to hold in deep respect; revere
-
to honour in recognition of qualities of holiness, excellence, wisdom, etc
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
veneratesimple
-
veneratessimple
-
have veneratedperfect
-
has veneratedperfect
-
am veneratingprogressive
-
are veneratingprogressive
-
is veneratingprogressive
-
have been veneratingperfect progressive
-
has been veneratingperfect progressive
Past
-
veneratedsimple
-
had veneratedperfect
-
was veneratingprogressive
-
were veneratingprogressive
-
had been veneratingperfect progressive
Future
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”; see Venus)
Explanation
To venerate is to worship, adore, be in awe of. You probably don't venerate your teacher or boss; however, you may act like you do! The word hasn't come far from its Latin roots in venerari, "to worship." Although you can certainly venerate a deity, a person can deserve it, too. We don't usually venerate our friends: instead, we usually save this feeling for deities or remarkable people who inspire awe. Mother Teresa was venerated for her work with the poor, and Gandhi was venerated for his efforts for peace, but most people aren't venerated for normal stuff like taking out the trash or hanging out on a Saturday.
Vocabulary lists containing venerate
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
ASVAB Word Knowledge
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Words for the High School Graduate
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
See Examples For:
That made it an object to venerate as well as a beacon amid political storms.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 2026
The trillion-dollar pay package has its roots in Musk’s desire to control 25% of Tesla stock, so he can’t be pushed out, even though most long-time Tesla investors and his board venerate his leadership.
From Barron's ● Oct. 3, 2025
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
“Oh? And how does this authority venerate my father?”
From "Black Swan Green" by David Mitchell
Within a legal profession that venerates judges and worships the Supreme Court, this is borderline heresy.
From Slate ● Jul. 20, 2026
“A culture that venerates Cory from ‘Boy Meets World,’ or Zach & Slater over Screech in ‘Saved by the Bell,’ or ‘Stefan’ over Steve Urkel in ‘Family Matters,’ will not produce the best engineers.”
From Salon ● Dec. 27, 2024
In her poem “Entering,” Vicuña venerates “ ‘the quipu that remembers nothing,’ an empty string,” and I’d always understood that line as an expression of mourning for lost Indigenous knowledge.
From New York Times ● Aug. 25, 2022
Boy Gru venerates these villains and wants to join them.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 29, 2022
It venerates the character and commends the teachings of the great and good of all ages and of all countries.
From Morals and Dogma of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry by Albert Pike
The clause survives as decoration: incorporated, venerated, and incapable of stopping a single seizure.
From Slate ● Jul. 28, 2026
The Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, an 11th-century monastery with emblematic golden domes, is venerated by both the Russian and Ukrainian wings of the Orthodox Church as one of their most important spiritual centres.
From Barron's ● Jun. 16, 2026
It is unusual to see Buddhist monks - much less such a high-ranking figure - arrested in Sri Lanka, where they are both politically powerful and venerated by society.
From BBC ● May 9, 2026
It doesn’t hurt that she’s attired in a series of extremely flattering outfits by the venerated costume designer Travis Banton.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 10, 2026
Handel, though, not only represented a musical amalgam of European styles during his lifetime; he also bequeathed to the next generation of composers a non-parochial, universal idiom that was venerated and built upon.
From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall
The U.S.-influenced counterculture of the 1960s inverted the social order, venerating indigenous folkways and fueling aspirations for full independence.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 24, 2026
At the Butovo firing range, a Stalin-era execution site near Moscow that has become a shrine to his victims, visiting Russians warned against venerating the wartime leader or emulating his ideas.
From Barron's ● Oct. 30, 2025
The themes of performances at Mr Gopalakrishnan's house include honouring a deified ancestor, venerating a warrior-hunter deity, and worshipping tiger spirits symbolising strength and protection.
From BBC ● Nov. 30, 2024
“Fernando, popularly known as “El Toro”, isn’t just a player; he’s a symbol of resilience, dedication, and passion to many like myself who grew up venerating him,” wrote Hector Gonzalez, who started the petition.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 1, 2024
The arms at attention, the eyes ever lowered, a venerating bend to his head.
From "Native Speaker" by Chang-rae Lee
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.
