veritable
adjective
Did you know?
Veritable, like its close relative verity (“truth”), came to English through Anglo-French from Latin. Its ultimate source is the adjective vērus, meaning “true,” which also gave English 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 with a humorous tone (“a veritable swarm of lawyers”). In the past, language commentators objected to the latter use, but today it doesn’t draw much criticism.
Examples of veritable in a Sentence
Daniel Alarcón, New Yorker, 7 Feb. 2026
One of the topics the state's veritable CEO was asked about included data centers.
—Dominik Dausch, Sioux Falls Argus Leader, 5 Feb. 2026
Good Neighbor’s open kitchen is a veritable Swiss army knife of stations.
—Sean Timberlake, Sacbee.com, 5 Feb. 2026
British sovereignty over the Chagos Islands is the veritable foundation stone necessary to effectively achieve its defense purposes.
—Sandeep Gopalan, Baltimore Sun, 3 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for veritable
Cite this Entry
“Veritable.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/veritable. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
Copy Citation
