veritable

adjective

ver·i·ta·ble | \ ˈver-ə-tə-bəl

Definition of veritable

: being in fact the thing named and not false, unreal, or imaginary —often used to stress the aptness of a metaphor a veritable mountain of references

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Did You Know?

Veritable, like its close relative "verity" ("truth"), came to English through Anglo-French from Latin. It is ultimately derived from "verus," the Latin word for "true," which also gave us "verify," "aver," and "verdict." "Veritable" is often used as a synonym of "genuine" or "authentic" ("a veritable masterpiece"), but it is also frequently used to stress the aptness of a metaphor, often in a humorous tone ("a veritable swarm of lawyers"). In the past, usage commentators have objected to the latter use, but today it doesn't draw much criticism.

Examples of veritable in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The Russians couldn’t manage this, either — but a veritable army of media commentators and progressive politicians could. — Rich Lowry, National Review, "Woke Disinformation Is More Pervasive and Powerful Than Russian Disinformation," 6 Apr. 2021 The past year has given rise to a veritable epidemic of anti-Asian violence in the United States. — Washington Post, "The link between anti-China sentiment in Washington and anti-Asian violence," 24 Mar. 2021 One week in August saw her with her hair coiled above her head, then braided in a veritable wearable sculpture, then glowing with silver cowrie shells. — Akili King, Vogue, "Model Stacey Louidor on How Exploring Hair Styles Has Built Her Confidence," 19 Mar. 2021 In any case, the viewers who tune in to the Oscars on April 25 will be treated to a veritable showcase of distinctive films that, in a normal year, might have flown under the radar. — NBC News, "The nominees for the Oscars are diverse and distinctive. But who will watch the show?," 15 Mar. 2021 Here to offer some inspiration for this in-between period is Irina Shayk, a veritable queen of street style. — Barry Samaha, Harper's BAZAAR, "Irina Shayk Offers Some Style Inspiration for the In-Between Season," 15 Mar. 2021 In these fraught and combative days reducing America to a veritable nation of anger, a loss this profound is going to be felt across the land. — Liz Elting, Forbes, "Women’s Jobs Are Vanishing. We’re Going To Have To Deal With That Eventually.," 19 Mar. 2021 And when Tennessee plays Oregon State in a first-round game on Friday, there will be a veritable orange crush, a spectacle muted only by limits on the number of (in this case, orange-clad) fans allowed to attend the tournament. — New York Times, "At This N.C.A.A. Tournament, Orange Is the New Bracket," 19 Mar. 2021 The Escalade offers a veritable buffet of features. — Ryan Zummallen, Star Tribune, "Edmunds compares new Escalade, Navigator and Mercedes GLS," 24 Feb. 2021

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'veritable.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.