Words / C2

VEN-uh-rayt/ˈvenəreɪt/

To venerate is to respect almost as if sacred (formal): venerate a founder, venerated relic. Revere is a close cousin; respect is everyday. Venerable is the adjective (worthy of respect, or just old). Venom is poison — not a mix-up to attempt in a joke. Do not venerate a sandwich.

Meaning

To respect someone or something deeply, as if it were almost sacred (formal).

Examples

• “The department venerates the founding syllabus, typos and all.”
• “The department venerates the 1979 syllabus, missing pages and all.”
• “A venerable chair is old and respected; to venerate is the verb of that awe.”

Good to know

Revere; treat as almost sacred (formal). Close: revere. Everyday: respect. Adjective: venerable. Not lunch.

Near in meaning

revere

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