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
Nick Rosenberger, Idaho Statesman, 26 Mar. 2025
Big mistake: Kitchens get plenty dirty already, but the top of your refrigerator can be a veritable dust trap.
—Lauren Phillips, Better Homes & Gardens, 26 Mar. 2025
The spiritual and titular leader of 1.3 billion Catholics was hospitalized for a severe respiratory infection that turned into double pneumonia and partial kidney failure — a scary diagnosis for the healthiest person, but a veritable death sentence for an 88-year-old missing part of one lung.
—Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 25 Mar. 2025
In addition, the southeast Asian country is a veritable melting pot of cultures and cuisines, and English is widely spoken (official signage also is written in English).
—Cnn.com, Mercury News, 24 Mar. 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 2 Apr. 2025.
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