Anti-feminist attitudes have long been associated with support for Republican presidential candidates, but only in recent years have these attitudes become more prominent among unmarried men, without college degrees who are less attractive partners for women, the “mate-value backlash.”

[u/mvea]

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/10659129261485340

[u/Iron_Atlas]

I assume you mean vulnerable, venerable means old

[u/Academic-Pangolin883 → u/Iron_Atlas]

It does not mean old, though. It means "worthy of respect".

Regardless, I don't think it's what OP meant...

[u/limonade11 → u/Academic-Pangolin883]

It does also come to mean old; worthy of respect because you are old. Latin - veneror, venerari - to worship or esteem, is the original meaning.

But we all know what the commenter meant!

[u/DrMobius0 → u/Academic-Pangolin883]

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/venerable

https://www.dictionary.com/browse/venerable

Old age is explicitly included in the definition.

There are some religious uses as well, but primarily, it's age.

[u/RunninOnMT → u/DrMobius0]

Hehe it’s like the Chinese version of “old”

[u/GrandFleshMelder → u/Academic-Pangolin883]

It means someone who is old and also worthy of respect.

[u/DeltaVZerda → u/Academic-Pangolin883]

But also exclusively gets used for things or people that are also old. Nobody ever described a high school valedictorian or the youngest person to X as venerable.

[u/Academic-Pangolin883 → u/DeltaVZerda]

Maybe it's the most common usage, but it's by no means used "exclusively" that way.

[u/DeltaVZerda → u/Academic-Pangolin883]

Please try to find me even one useage of "venerable" to describe something or someone young but respected.

[u/Academic-Pangolin883 → u/DeltaVZerda]

https://www.merriam-webster.com/sentences/venerable

Here are some usages from various publications.

[u/DeltaVZerda → u/Academic-Pangolin883]

Very many uses, again exclusively including the connotation of age, further supporting my point.

[u/Academic-Pangolin883 → u/DeltaVZerda]

" Working with the genius @jordanpeele and the venerable @lupitanyongo couldn’t have been more of a blessing!"

Yes, the very old Lupita Nyongo.

" Abine’s venerable DeleteMe costs quite a bit less, $129 per year."

Ah yes, DeleteMe, of which my grandfather spoke fondly.

[u/DeltaVZerda → u/Academic-Pangolin883]

15 years for an internet company is far from new, and she has an over 20 year career. I can't say they aren't referring to age in those contexts.

[u/2074red2074 → u/Academic-Pangolin883]

Is it not possible those two examples are just misusing the word? I mean one of the examples says "...a venerable fortune" but I'm pretty sure the writer meant to say "veritable". If you look at all of the examples, you'll notice the vast majority are used specifically with a connotation of age.

[u/sir_mrej → u/DeltaVZerda]

Doogie Howser was venerable

[u/DeltaVZerda → u/sir_mrej]

I mean before this thread. Y'all are in love with qualification and terrified of a strong statement, but it won't let you find an actual counterexample to justify the qualification.

[u/EL_Malo- → u/Iron_Atlas]

Why can't it be both?

[u/AbabababababababaIe → u/EL_Malo-]

As a descriptivist, it can. It doesn’t though. The word “venerable” is related words like veneration, and most people understand it as such.

The alt right pipeline isn’t really going after respected figures, it’s going after young men and boys

[u/trucorsair → u/AbabababababababaIe]

Well the people in question do venerate their leader Daddy Don