venerable

adjective

ˈve-nər(-ə)-bəl How to pronounce venerable (audio)
Definition of venerablenext
1
as in venerated
deserving honor and respect especially by reason of age the venerable old man was a cherished source of advice and wisdom for the villagers

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in ancient
dating or surviving from the distant past a venerable tradition that colleges have been maintaining for centuries

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective venerable differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of venerable are ancient, antiquated, antique, archaic, obsolete, and old. While all these words mean "having come into existence or use in the more or less distant past," venerable stresses the impressiveness and dignity of great age.

the family's venerable patriarch

When might ancient be a better fit than venerable?

While in some cases nearly identical to venerable, ancient applies to occurrence, existence, or use in or survival from the distant past.

ancient accounts of dragons

In what contexts can antiquated take the place of venerable?

The synonyms antiquated and venerable are sometimes interchangeable, but antiquated implies being discredited or outmoded or otherwise inappropriate to the present time.

antiquated teaching methods

When is antique a more appropriate choice than venerable?

The meanings of antique and venerable largely overlap; however, antique applies to what has come down from a former or ancient time.

collected antique Chippendale furniture

When would archaic be a good substitute for venerable?

While the synonyms archaic and venerable are close in meaning, archaic implies having the character or characteristics of a much earlier time.

the play used archaic language to convey a sense of period

Where would obsolete be a reasonable alternative to venerable?

In some situations, the words obsolete and venerable are roughly equivalent. However, obsolete may apply to something regarded as no longer acceptable or useful even though it is still in existence.

a computer that makes earlier models obsolete

When could old be used to replace venerable?

The words old and venerable can be used in similar contexts, but old may apply to either actual or merely relative length of existence.

old houses
an old sweater of mine

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of venerable Disruption figures to be the Gamecocks’ best chance at upsetting the venerable Huskies. —Marcus Thompson Ii, New York Times, 6 Apr. 2025 There’s also a flurry of ’90’s acts on deck including the venerable Wallflowers (May 25), Toad the Wet Sprocket with Sixpence None the Richer (July 20), Gin Blossoms (Aug. 19) and Everclear with Local H on Sept. 7. —Aaron Davis, Sacbee.com, 5 Apr. 2025 Dozens of members of the venerable activism-and-advocacy group marched into the center of the demonstration chanting that Elon Musk had to go. —Sarah Larson, New Yorker, 31 Mar. 2025 The 27 Project Kuiper satellites will comprise the heaviest payload that the venerable Atlas V has ever flown, according to Amazon. —Mike Wall, Space.com, 2 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for venerable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for venerable
  1. ancient
  2. revered
  3. old
  4. respectable
  5. antique
  6. medieval
Adjective
  • The museum has a world-class collection, including works by iconic artists like da Vinci, Monet, and Van Gogh, alongside ancient artifacts.
    — Susmita Baral, Travel + Leisure, 19 Apr. 2025
  • Leland presented European material as the survival of an ancient pagan cult—moreover, a paganism that had been demonized by Christianity.
    — Angelica Frey, JSTOR Daily, 18 Apr. 2025
Definition of ancient
Adjective
  • Our band, too, found ourselves on a prickly path to one of the most revered venues in the country.
    — Ryan Miller, The Atlantic, 10 Apr. 2025
  • The is a revered tradition, held every Tuesday Masters week.
    — Devlina Sarkar, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Apr. 2025
Definition of revered
Adjective
  • Not content just to confirm its arrival, Veach deftly sliced a slit in the plastic to minimize any potential forensic trail, removed the new game and swapped in the old version before carefully rewrapping it.
    — Vahe Gregorian, Kansas City Star, 18 Apr. 2025
  • In contrast, older generations started saving much later, with boomers beginning at an average age of 37 and with plans to retire at 72.
    — Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 18 Apr. 2025
Definition of old
Adjective
  • The daughter of Season 25’s Bryan Olesen turned out a perfectly respectable rendition of Avril Lavigne’s ballad.
    — Charlie Mason, TVLine, 14 Apr. 2025
  • Rose shot a very respectable round of 71, but had too many bogeys mixed in with his handful of birdies.
    — Jacob Lev, CNN Money, 11 Apr. 2025
Definition of respectable
Adjective
  • Among the weird things people left behind were a full sheet of uncut $2 bills, a toilet seat, silicone butt pads, a rattlesnake preserved in a jar of whiskey and an antique French guide to performing exorcisms.
    — Zach Wichter, USA Today, 9 Apr. 2025
  • The nonprofit is offering a $500 reward per set for the return of the antique doors.
    — PJ Green, Kansas City Star, 9 Apr. 2025
Definition of antique
Adjective
  • Also, the pass includes several mountain excursions and free admission to more than 500 museums throughout Switzerland. Not to be missed is the medieval town of Gruyères about 80 miles from Geneva.
    — Jeryl Brunner, Forbes.com, 15 Apr. 2025
  • The stakes of the story become ever more human-on-human, with zombies largely relegated to one epic battle that sits at the cinematic junction of western, medieval and samurai.
    — Mike Hale, New York Times, 13 Apr. 2025
Definition of medieval

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veneers
venerable
venerableness
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Cite this Entry

“Venerable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/venerable. Accessed 23 Apr. 2025.

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More from Merriam-Webster on venerable

Nglish: Translation of venerable for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about venerable

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