inveterate

C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ɪnˈvɛtərət/ UK /ɪnˈvɛtərət/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

adj
having a long-established and unlikely-to-change habit

He was an inveterate gambler who could not resist a wager.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · having a long-established... habitual confirmed chronic ingrainedentrenchedhardeneddyed-in-the-wool

Opposites

occasional sporadic

Word family

Forms inveterately

Derived forms inveteratelyinveteracy

Related forms veteran

Simplified etymology

Inveterate entered English in the late Middle Ages from the Latin family of vetus, “old,” and had the sense “long-standing.”

Etymology

From Latin inveteratus, past participle of inveterare 'to make old, render long-established', from in- 'in' plus vetus (stem veter-) 'old'.

inveterare Latin vetus Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# inveterate

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** /ɪnˈvɛtərət/
**IPA (UK):** /ɪnˈvɛtərət/

## Meanings
1. having a long-established and unlikely-to-change habit

## Examples
- He was an inveterate gambler who could not resist a wager.

## Synonyms
- habitual
- confirmed
- chronic
- ingrained
- entrenched
- hardened
- dyed-in-the-wool

## Antonyms
- occasional
- sporadic

## Derived Forms
- inveterately
- inveteracy

## Related Forms
- veteran

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: inveterare
- Root: vetus

## Etymology
From Latin inveteratus, past participle of inveterare 'to make old, render long-established', from in- 'in' plus vetus (stem veter-) 'old'.

## AI Etymology
Inveterate comes from Latin inveteratus, past participle of inveterare 'to make old, render long-established', from in- 'in' plus vetus (stem veter-) 'old'. The form is best read as a historical transfer or inheritance, with its older language material carrying the main semantic load. As an adjective, it carries the sense "having a long-established and unlikely-to-change habit", with the older formation still helping explain the modern use. Relevant historical forms include Latin inveterare and Latin vetus. Derivative forms include inveterately, inveteracy; related words include veteran.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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