Dictionary

venerable en · ADJ

Pronunciation

• /ˈvɛnɹəbl/
• (Southern-England) audio
• /ˈvɛnəɹəbl/

Etymology

From Middle French vénérable, from Old French, from Latin venerabilis.

Meanings

1. Commanding respect because of age, dignity, character or position.
   • Dotcom mania was slow in coming to higher education, but now it has the venerable industry firmly in its grip. Since the launch early last year of Udacity and Coursera, two Silicon Valley start-ups offering free education through MOOCs, massive open online courses, the ivory towers of academia have been shaken to their foundations. 2013 July 20, “The attack of the MOOCs”, in The Economist, volume 408, number 8845:
2. Worthy of reverence.
   • We looked at the venerable stream not in the vivid flush of a short day that comes and departs for ever, but in the pacific yet august light of abiding memories. 1899 February, Joseph Conrad, “The Heart of Darkness”, in Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine, volume CLXV, number M, New York, N.Y.: The Leonard Scott Publishing Company, […], →OCLC, part I, page 194, column 1:
3. Ancient, antiquated or archaic.
   • And then bills were sent in, and the question arose, what could Jude do with his great-aunt's heavy old furniture if he left the town to travel he knew not whither? This, and the necessity of ready money, compelled him to decide on an auction, much as he would have preferred to keep the venerable goods. 1894 December – 1895 November, Thomas Hardy, chapter VI, in Jude the Obscure, 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers, […], published 1896, →OCLC, part V (At Aldbrickham and Elswhere), page 360:
4. Made sacred especially by religious or historical association.
5. Giving an impression of aged goodness and benevolence.

Forms

Antonyms

contemptible

Deriveds

venerably · unvenerable · venerability · venerableness

Synonyms

idle · antediluvian · older than the hills · oldfangled · age-old · aged · elderly · backwards · dated · hoary · older than dirt · moss-grown · old · honorable · old as the Pyramids · backward · unemployed · older than the Pyramids · Havishamesque · antediluvian · outmoded · desuete · dootsie · decrepit · hoary · superseded · antediluvial · cobwebbed · obsolete · unoccupied · Miss Havishamesque · superannuated · eldern · antiquated · outworn · cobwebbed · auld · antique · old · cobwebby · estimable · old as the hills · passé · respectable · venerable · ancient · out of fashion · workless · gray · out of date · venerable · mouldy · aged · dated · old-fashioned · extinct · hoary · defunct · behind the times · outdated · expired · old school · gamol · fossilized · anachronistic · parachronistic · disused · olden · primitive · cobwebby · archaic · discontinued · eld · wintry

Translations (93)

de geheiligt (sacred by association) · cs ctihodný (ancient, antiquated or archaic) · fr vénérable (commanding respect because of age, dignity, character or position) · ka მოწყალე (radiating goodness and benevolence) · fr vénérable (sacred by association) · ru уважа́емый (commanding respect because of age, dignity, character or position) · cs vážený (commanding respect because of age, dignity, character or position) · de veraltet (ancient, antiquated or archaic) · is sem vekur virðingu (worthy of reverence) · pl czcigodny (worthy of reverence) · pl szacowny (commanding respect because of age, dignity, character or position) · mk у́важен (commanding respect because of age, dignity, character or position) · it venerando (commanding respect because of age, dignity, character or position) · ru достопочтенный (worthy of reverence) · ka ღირსი (worthy of reverence) · mk почи́туван (worthy of reverence) · hu nagytiszteletű (sacred by association) · pl czcigodny (commanding respect because of age, dignity, character or position) · ja 敬うべき (worthy of reverence) · de verehrungswürdig (worthy of reverence) · de verehrenswert (worthy of reverence) · ru дре́вний (ancient, antiquated or archaic) · ka საპატიო (commanding respect because of age, dignity, character or position) · cmn 可敬 (worthy of reverence) · gl venerábel (worthy of reverence) · hu ódon (ancient, antiquated or archaic) · ja 崇高な (worthy of reverence) · uk пошти́вний (radiating goodness and benevolence) · fr vénérable (radiating goodness and benevolence) · it sacro (sacred by association) · hu ősi (ancient, antiquated or archaic) · mk до́стоен (worthy of reverence) · ru милостивый (radiating goodness and benevolence) · de gütig (radiating goodness and benevolence) · hi श्रद्धास्पद (worthy of reverence) · gl respetábel (commanding respect because of age, dignity, character or position) · de geschätzt (commanding respect because of age, dignity, character or position) · cs ctihodný (commanding respect because of age, dignity, character or position) · el σεβάσμιος (commanding respect because of age, dignity, character or position) · kk абзал (commanding respect because of age, dignity, character or position) · fi kunnioitettava (commanding respect because of age, dignity, character or position) · is virðulegur (commanding respect because of age, dignity, character or position) · ka საპატიო (worthy of reverence) · la venerābilis (commanding respect because of age, dignity, character or position) · is æruverðugur (commanding respect because of age, dignity, character or position) · sv ärevördig (worthy of reverence) · ka პატივსაცემი (worthy of reverence) · te పూజ్యము (commanding respect because of age, dignity, character or position) · hu patinás (commanding respect because of age, dignity, character or position) · de ehrwürdig (commanding respect because of age, dignity, character or position) · mk дре́вен (ancient, antiquated or archaic) · ka ღირსი (sacred by association) · es venerable (worthy of reverence) · az qocaman (commanding respect because of age, dignity, character or position) · ja 立派な (worthy of reverence) · cs ctihodný (worthy of reverence) · hu tisztelendő (sacred by association) · es venerable (commanding respect because of age, dignity, character or position) · is sem vekur virðingu (commanding respect because of age, dignity, character or position) · mk почи́туван (commanding respect because of age, dignity, character or position) · fr vénérable (ancient, antiquated or archaic) · fr vénérable (worthy of reverence) · is æruverðugur (worthy of reverence) · is virðulegur (worthy of reverence) · grc σεβαστός (worthy of reverence) · tr muhterem (commanding respect because of age, dignity, character or position) · bg почитан (worthy of reverence) · bg уважаван (commanding respect because of age, dignity, character or position) · fi vanhanaikainen (ancient, antiquated or archaic) · hu tiszteletet ébresztő/parancsoló (commanding respect because of age, dignity, character or position) · ka ძველი (ancient, antiquated or archaic) · hu tiszteletre méltó (sacred by association) · de respektabel (commanding respect because of age, dignity, character or position) · fi kunnioitettava (worthy of reverence) · it sacra (sacred by association) · it rispettabile (commanding respect because of age, dignity, character or position) · grc σεβάσμιος (commanding respect because of age, dignity, character or position) · sv vördad (commanding respect because of age, dignity, character or position) · sv ärevördig (ancient, antiquated or archaic) · bg преподобен (sacred by association) · pl sędziwy (ancient, antiquated or archaic) · it venerabile (commanding respect because of age, dignity, character or position) · it onorevole (commanding respect because of age, dignity, character or position) · mk ми́лостив (radiating goodness and benevolence) · hu tiszteletre méltó (worthy of reverence) · ka პატივსაცემი (commanding respect because of age, dignity, character or position) · tr saygıdeğer (worthy of reverence) · de anachronistisch (ancient, antiquated or archaic) · hi श्रद्धास्पद (commanding respect because of age, dignity, character or position) · cmn 德高望重的 (commanding respect because of age, dignity, character or position) · de archaisch (ancient, antiquated or archaic) · kk абзал (worthy of reverence) · sv respektabel (commanding respect because of age, dignity, character or position)