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

Now, the rover’s pulled together a veritable feast. — Amina Khan, latimes.com, "Curiosity rover's findings on Mars' organic molecules offer tantalizing clues in the search for life on the planet," 8 June 2018 For one weekend a year, a bumpy street circuit takes over the island's western tip, playing host to a veritable bounty of race cars. — Jonathan M. Gitlin, Ars Technica, "The Detroit Grand Prix in pictures," 5 June 2018 Wilson loves L’Oréal Paris Infallible Paints/Lip ($10), which come in a veritable rainbow of saturated hues. — Harper's BAZAAR, "Dare to Wear Color This Season," 5 May 2017 Streptomyces are soil bacteria that are a veritable storehouse of drugs. — Diana Gitig, Ars Technica, "Bacteria engage in chemical warfare against viruses," 5 Dec. 2018 But even that's not enough: starting Friday, February 9, Mr. Sexyback himself will open a pop-up in New York City that's a veritable smorgasbord of menswear collaborations. — Jake Woolf, GQ, "Justin Timberlake, Man of the Woods, Opens a Pop-Up Shop in New York City," 8 Feb. 2018 The Loire is a veritable hotbed of crémant producers. — Elin Mccoy, Bloomberg.com, "Forget Prosecco: French Crémants Should Be Your Champagne Alternative," 21 Feb. 2018 This veritable botanical garden, in an astonishing variety of shades of green, means there's new life here—a hopeful metaphor for what's happening across the island. — David Jefferys, Condé Nast Traveler, "Puerto Rico's Dorado Beach Is a Bit of Bali, Three Hours from Home," 12 Nov. 2018 Posen on the other hand, is a veritable master of all things fancy. — Carrie Goldberg, Harper's BAZAAR, "All the Details of Eugenie's Second Wedding Dress–Compared to Meghan Markle's," 14 Oct. 2018

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.

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Dictionary Entries near veritable

veritas vos liberabit

Statistics for veritable

Last Updated

14 Jan 2019

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Time Traveler for veritable

The first known use of veritable was in the 15th century

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More Definitions for veritable

veritable

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of veritable

: true or real

See the full definition for veritable in the English Language Learners Dictionary

veritable

adjective

ver·i·ta·ble | \ ˈver-ə-tə-bəl

\

Kids Definition of veritable

: actual, true

Hint: Veritable is often used to emphasize similarity to something else.

He is a veritable encyclopedia of facts.

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