inveterate

/ɪnˈvɛtəɹɪt/

//ɪnˈvɛtəɹɪt// adj

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"inveterate" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“inveterate” is uncommon English (frequency #63,707 among 2,140 “I” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#63,707
frequency rank, English
2,140
“I” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Firmly established from having been around for a long time; of long standing.

Corpus desk

Index EN-inveterate · inveterate · English

inveterate · rank #63,707 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #63,707
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,140
  • PHOTO-FINISH intergroup

Nearest frequency peer: intergroup (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Long-tail ranks near “inveterate”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “inveterate” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for inveterate
PropertyValue
Headwordinveterate
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ɪnˈvɛtəɹɪt/
Letters10
Frequency rank#63,707
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “inveterate” in English

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).inveteratefalls in this rarity band:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “intergroup” (#63,706), “Ipanema” (#63,708), “instar” (#63,705). Among 2,140 “I” headwords, “inveterate” is #63,707. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

inveterate is uncommon English at frequency #63,707 among 2,140 “I” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ɪnˈvɛtəɹɪt/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

Zero misspellings are on record for inveterate in our index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: The adjective is first attested in 1528, the verb in 1574; borrowed from Latin inveterātus (“of long standing, chronic”), perfect passive participle of inveterō and participial adjective (see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (adjective-forming suffix)), … The correct English form is inveterate, spelled I-N-V-E-T-E-R-A-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Firmly established from having been around for a long time; of long standing.
  2. 2
    Having had a habit (usually a bad habit) for a long time.
  3. 3
    Malignant; virulent; spiteful.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how inveterate appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Near-synonyms: deep-rooted, ingrained, ineradicable, indelible, radicated, chronic, permanent
  2. an inveterate disease

Etymology

The adjective is first attested in 1528, the verb in 1574; borrowed from Latin inveterātus (“of long standing, chronic”), perfect passive participle of inveterō and participial adjective (see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (adjective-forming suffix)), from in- (“in, into”) + veterō (“to age”), from vetus, veteris (“old”). Cognate with Italian inveterato, French invétéré.

Synonyms

bred-in-the-bonedeep-rooteddeep-seateddyed-in-the-woolingrainedinveteratelong-standingradicated

Antonyms

casualtransient

This word in other languages

empedernido(Español)invétéré(Français)chronisch(Deutsch)inveterado(Português)

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "inveterate"?
"inveterate" is spelled I-N-V-E-T-E-R-A-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ɪnˈvɛtəɹɪt/.
What does "inveterate" mean?
As an adjective, "inveterate" means: Firmly established from having been around for a long time; of long standing.
How do you pronounce "inveterate"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "inveterate" is /ɪnˈvɛtəɹɪt/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "inveterate"?
The adjective is first attested in 1528, the verb in 1574; borrowed from Latin inveterātus (“of long standing, chronic”), perfect passive participle of inveterō and participial adjective (see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (adjective-forming ... See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "inveterate", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

intergroup#63,706italicized#63,712grievously#63,660greenstone#63,658

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list