What does veritable mean?
Veritable means genuine, true, or real, and it often serves as an emphatic label: a “veritable encyclopedia” is an exceptionally well-informed person, while a “veritable disaster” is an unmitigated catastrophe rather than merely a bad situation. The word is especially common in formal writing and literary prose, where its slightly elevated tone adds weight or vividness. It is also used before a noun to mean an authentic instance of that category, as in “a veritable treasure.” Although its central sense concerns truth rather than morality, context can suggest completeness or extremity. For readers, veritable is useful because it clarifies that a description is not figurative or approximate but emphatically accurate. Its Latin ancestry, rooted in the word for “true,” also links it with related terms such as verify and veracity.
adjectiveGenuine, true, or real; often used to emphasize that something is absolutely an instance of the thing named.
- Genuine, true, or actually being what it is called.
- Absolute or complete, especially in expressions such as “a veritable disaster,” where it emphasizes the full extent of something.
"Her collection was a veritable treasure trove of rare books."
"The scientist was a veritable encyclopedia of marine biology."
"A sudden change of plans turned the celebration into a veritable disaster."
Latin verus means “true,” so veritable carries the ultimate emphasis: it declares that something is not merely a near example, but the real thing.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does veritable come from?
Veritable entered English during the late Middle English period through French. Its immediate source was the French adjective veritable, which came from Late Latin veritabilis, meaning “true” or “genuine.” That Latin word was formed from verus, “true,” the same root underlying verify, veracity, and verisimilitude.
Related word forms
How veritable is actually used
Chiefly formal or literary. It often lends an elevated, emphatic tone and is especially common in the construction “a veritable + noun.”
Easily confused with veritable
Verifiable means capable of being checked or proved, whereas veritable means actually true or genuine.
Virtuous describes moral excellence, while veritable describes truth or authenticity.