venerable

ven·er·a·ble

adjective \ˈve-nər(-ə)-bəl, ˈven-rə-bəl\

Definition of VENERABLE

1

: deserving to be venerated —used as a title for an Anglican archdeacon or for a Roman Catholic who has been accorded the lowest of three degrees of recognition for sanctity

2

: made sacred especially by religious or historical association

3

a : calling forth respect through age, character, and attainments <a venerable jazz musician>; broadly : conveying an impression of aged goodness and benevolence <encouraged by the venerable doctor's head-nodding>

b : impressive by reason of age <under venerable pines>

— ven·er·a·bil·i·ty \ˌve-nə-rə-ˈbi-lə-tē, ˌven-rə-\ noun

— ven·er·a·ble·ness \ˈve-nər(-ə)-bəl-nəs, ˈven-rə-\ noun

— ven·er·a·bly \-blē\ adverb

Examples of VENERABLE

1. <the venerable old man was a cherished source of advice and wisdom for the villagers>
2. <a venerable tradition that colleges have been maintaining for centuries>
3. [Julie] Powell never met Julia Child (who died last year), but the venerable chef's spirit is present throughout, and Powell imaginatively reconstructs episodes from Child's life in the 1940s. Her writing is feisty and unrestrained, especially as she details killing lobsters, tackling marrowbones and cooking late into the night. —Publishers Weekly, 13 June 2005
4. Under her stewardship, the onetime boardinghouse came to be heralded as the South's most venerable family restaurant, a reliquary of old-fashioned cooking—collard greens enriched with fatback, creamed corn straight from the cob, fried chicken with a pepper-flecked crust—where the tables groaned beneath the weight of a quintessential midday repast, and history stood still on the plate for all to admire. —John T. Edge, Gourmet, January 2003
5. The lower the P/E, as a rough rule of thumb, the cheaper the stock. Though this guide to value has lots of exceptions, it remains a venerable market benchmark. —Jonathan Weil, Wall Street Journal, 21 Aug. 2001
6. I then descended to the Courts of justice, over which the judges, those venerable sages and interpreters of the law, presided, for determining the disputed rights and properties of men, as well as for the punishment of vice, and protection of innocence. —Jonathan Swift, Gulliver's Travels, 1726

Origin of VENERABLE

(see venerate)

First Known Use: 15th century

Related to VENERABLE

Synonyms

hallowed, revered, reverend, sacred, venerated

Antonyms

modern, new, recent

Related Words

honorable, reputable, respectable; considered, esteemed, honored, respected, reverenced; admirable, distinguished, estimable, redoubtable, worthy; good, moral, noble, righteous

Near Antonyms

bad, discreditable, disgraceful, dishonorable, disreputable, ignominious, infamous, loose, notorious, shameful; immoral, seamy, shadowy, shady, sordid, unsavory, vile, wicked; base, contemptible, despicable, detestable, dirty, low, mean, wretched

See Synonym Discussion at old

Rhymes with VENERABLE

generable