adjective
-
(intensifier; usually qualifying a word used metaphorically)
he's a veritable swine!
-
rare genuine or true; proper
I require veritable proof
Synonym Usage
See authentic.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of veritable
1425–75; late Middle English < Anglo-French, Middle French. See verity, -able
Explanation
When something is veritable it is true, or at least feels that way. "The trees and lights turned the campus into a veritable wonderland" means that the campus seemed to be transformed into a true wonderland (if there is such a thing). Veritable comes from the Latin veritas which means true. But unlike true, it does not describe things like statements. It is often used to enhance the word that follows it. "A veritable cornucopia of food" is a lot of food of different varieties. If someone calls you "a veritable force of nature," they don't mean that you are actually a hurricane; they just mean that you have the unstoppable quality of a big old storm.
Vocabulary lists containing veritable
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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.
Melt all of that together and you get a veritable News of the Weird headline factory of criminality and oddity that makes the place so very . . . content rich.
From Salon ● Jul. 1, 2026
It's been 24 years since they last won this tournament, a veritable eternity for them.
From BBC ● Jun. 24, 2026
In places, the amassed rubbish has formed veritable islands of plastic.
From Barron's ● May 20, 2026
About 120 guests sardined into the modest backyard of Sonenshein’s Santa Monica childhood home, with a veritable who’s who of the L.A. restaurant scene doing double duty as attendees and vendors.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 28, 2026
"When the train reached the summit of the mountain, he was no longer with us. And as the train dropped down the grade he had departed. "It had become a veritable train of sorrow.
From "Invisible Man" by Ralph Ellison
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.
