inveterate

adjective

in·​vet·​er·​ate in-ˈve-t(ə-)rət How to pronounce inveterate (audio)
1
: confirmed in a habit : habitual
an inveterate liar
2
: firmly established by long persistence
the inveterate tendency to overlook the obvious
inveterately adverb

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The History of Inveterate

Despite how it may seem at first glance, inveterate has nothing to do with lacking a spine. That’s invertebrate, which came into English in the early 19th century from New Latin, the Latin vocabulary used in scientific description and classification. Inveterate, on the other hand, is a true veteran of the English language, with a membership card dating to the 15th century. Like veteran, inveterate ultimately comes from the Latin adjective vetus, which means "old." (In times past, inveterate had among its meanings "old.") The more direct source of inveterate, however, is the Latin adjective inveteratus, with which it shares the meaning "firmly established by long persistence." Today inveterate most often describes someone who so frequently or invariably engages in a particular habit or attitude as to be regularly identified with that habit or attitude, as when political columnist Jamelle Bouie observed "The truth is that our best presidents—or at least our most successful ones—have been inveterate flip-floppers, willing to break from unpopular positions, move with political winds, and adjust to new complications."

Choose the Right Synonym for inveterate

inveterate, confirmed, chronic mean firmly established.

inveterate applies to a habit, attitude, or feeling of such long existence as to be practically ineradicable or unalterable.

an inveterate smoker

confirmed implies a growing stronger and firmer with time so as to resist change or reform.

a confirmed bachelor

chronic suggests something that is persistent or endlessly recurrent and troublesome.

a chronic complainer

Examples of inveterate in a Sentence

his inveterate tendency to overlook the obvious he has an inveterate tendency to tell some very tall tales
Recent Examples on the Web Second Gentleman Dough Emhoff has established a reputation as a music nerd and, like his wife, Vice President Kamala Harris, an inveterate crate digger. Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 22 Oct. 2024 Johnson, an alum of BuzzFeed, Independent Journal Review, The Daily Caller, and Blaze Media, is also an inveterate poster and engagement optimizer whose apparent quest for audience has led him deeper down the pro-Trump rabbit hole. Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 6 Sep. 2024 The inveterate distributor Film Movement now offers a first-of-its-kind box set that includes the director and screenwriter's opus, Poetry, and three of his early, soul-shaking staples. Ew Staff, EW.com, 6 Sep. 2024 Her parents owned a liquor store, though her father was an inveterate gambler, and Leaf would later acknowledge her mother as the source of her own tireless work ethic. News Desk, Artforum, 3 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for inveterate 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'inveterate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Latin inveteratus, from past participle of inveterare to age (transitive verb), from in- + veter-, vetus old — more at wether

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of inveterate was in the 15th century

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Dictionary Entries Near inveterate

Cite this Entry

“Inveterate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/inveterate. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

inveterate

adjective
in·​vet·​er·​ate in-ˈvet-ə-rət How to pronounce inveterate (audio)
-ˈve-trət
1
: firmly established by age or by long continuation
inveterate habits
2
: habitual sense 2
an inveterate complainer
inveterately adverb

Medical Definition

inveterate

adjective
in·​vet·​er·​ate in-ˈvet-ə-rət, -ˈve-trət How to pronounce inveterate (audio)
1
: marked by long duration or frequent recurrence
inveterate bursitis
2
: confirmed in a habit : habitual sense 2
an inveterate smoker

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