venerable
adjective
ven·er·a·ble
ˈve-nər(-ə)-bəl 
ˈven-rə-bəl
1
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
2
: 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
3
: made sacred especially by religious or historical association
Examples of venerable in a Sentence
[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
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
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
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
the venerable old man was a cherished source of advice and wisdom for the villagers
a venerable tradition that colleges have been maintaining for centuries
Publishers Weekly, 13 June 2005
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
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
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
the venerable old man was a cherished source of advice and wisdom for the villagers
a venerable tradition that colleges have been maintaining for centuries
Recent Examples on the Web
Bari Weiss is poised to revamp one of the nation’s most venerable down-the-middle news outlets, CBS News.
—Brian Steinberg, Variety, 24 Oct. 2025
The venerable house of Chapoutier goes back to 1808, and today it is run by Michel Chapoutier, who took over from his predecessor at the young age of 26.
—Mike Desimone, Robb Report, 23 Oct. 2025
For French Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin, the heist spotlights embarrassing security failings at one of France’s most venerable institutions.
—Jacqui Palumbo, CNN Money, 21 Oct. 2025
The venerable department store had long been in denial about the depth of its problems, said Spring, who took the reins of Macy’s Inc in early 2024 after a successful decade-long stint as CEO of its Bloomingdale’s division.
—Phil Wahba, Fortune, 18 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for venerable
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Brian Steinberg, Variety, 24 Oct. 2025
The venerable house of Chapoutier goes back to 1808, and today it is run by Michel Chapoutier, who took over from his predecessor at the young age of 26.
—Mike Desimone, Robb Report, 23 Oct. 2025
For French Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin, the heist spotlights embarrassing security failings at one of France’s most venerable institutions.
—Jacqui Palumbo, CNN Money, 21 Oct. 2025
The venerable department store had long been in denial about the depth of its problems, said Spring, who took the reins of Macy’s Inc in early 2024 after a successful decade-long stint as CEO of its Bloomingdale’s division.
—Phil Wahba, Fortune, 18 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for venerable
Cite this Entry
“Venerable.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/venerable. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
venerable
adjective
ven·er·a·ble
ˈven-ər(-ə)-bəl
ˈven-rə-bəl
1
: deserving to be venerated
—often used as a religious title
2
: deserving honor or respect
a venerable leader
3
: impressive by reason of age
venerable pines
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