veritable
adjective
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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
Roger Sands, Forbes.com, 17 June 2025
The water was an icy whoosh—and a veritable elixir on that nearly 100-degree day.
—David Amsden, Travel + Leisure, 13 June 2025
To help raise funds for the publication, a veritable San Diego supergroup is reuniting for a Troubadour benefit concert this weekend.
—George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 June 2025
But according to Good Energy, the book Means published last year with a top MAHA adviser—her brother, Calley—mitochondrial dysfunction is a veritable plague upon the United States, responsible for both serious illness and everyday malaise.
—Hannah Seo, The Atlantic, 10 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for veritable
Cite this Entry
“Veritable.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/veritable. Accessed 30 Jun. 2025.
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