A serviceman who has seen considerable active service:
— The veterans laughed at the new recruits.

synonym: veteran soldier.

Roget 726: combatant; disputant, controversialist, polemic, litigant, belligerent; competitor, rival, corrival^†; fighter, assailant; champion, Paladin; mosstrooper^†, swashbuckler fire eater, duelist, bully, bludgeon man, rough.    prize fighter, pugilist, boxer, bruiser, the fancy, gladiator, athlete, wrestler; fighting-cock, game-cock; warrior, soldier, fighting man, Amazon, man at arms, armigerent^†; campaigner, veteran; swordsman, sabreur^†, redcoat, military man, Rajput.    armed force, troops, soldiery, military forces, sabaoth^†, the army, standing army, regulars, the line, troops of the line, militia, yeomanry, volunteers, trainband, fencible^†; auxiliary, bersagliere^†, brave; garde-nationale, garde-royale [Fr.]; minuteman [U.S.]; auxiliary forces, reserve forces; reserves, posse comitatus [Lat.], national guard, gendarme, beefeater; guards, guardsman; yeomen of the guard, life guards, household troops.    janissary; myrmidon; Mama, Mameluke; spahee^†, spahi^†, Cossack, Croat, Pandoz.    irregular, guerilla, partisan, condottiere^†; franctireur [Fr.], tirailleur^†, bashi-bazouk; [guerilla organization names: list], vietminh, vietcong; shining path; contras; huk, hukbalahap.    mercenary, soldier of fortune; hired gun, gunfighter, gunslinger; bushwhacker, free lance, companion; Hessian.    hit man torpedo, soldier.    levy, draught; Landwehr [G.], Landsturm [G.]; conscript, recruit, cadet, raw levies.    infantry, infantryman, private, private soldier, foot soldier; Tommy Atkins^†, rank and file, peon, trooper, sepoy^†, legionnaire, legionary, cannon fodder, food for powder; officer etc. (commander) 745; subaltern, ensign, standard bearer; spearman, pikeman^†; spear bearer; halberdier^†, lancer; musketeer, carabineer^†, rifleman, jager [G.], sharpshooter, yager^†, skirmisher; grenadier, fusileer^†; archer, bowman.    horse and foot; horse soldier; cavalry, horse, artillery, horse artillery, light horse, voltigeur [Fr.], uhlan, mounted rifles, dragoon, hussar; light dragoon, heavy dragoon; heavy; cuirassier [Fr.]; Foot Guards, Horse Guards.    gunner, cannoneer, bombardier, artilleryman^†, matross^†; sapper, sapper and miner; engineer; light infantry, rifles, chasseur [Fr.], zouave; military train, coolie.    army, corps d'armee [Fr.], host, division, battalia^†, column, wing, detachment, garrison, flying column, brigade, regiment, corps, battalion, sotnia^†, squadron, company, platoon, battery, subdivision, section, squad; piquet, picket, guard, rank, file; legion, phalanx, cohort; cloud of skirmishers.    war horse, charger, destrier.    marine, man-of-war's man etc. (sailor) 269; navy, wooden walls, naval forces, fleet, flotilla, armada, squadron.    [ships of war] man-of-war; destroyer; submarine; minesweeper; torpedo-boat, torpedo-destroyer; patrol torpedo boat, PT boat; torpedo-catcher, war castle, H.   M.S.; battleship, battle wagon, dreadnought, line of battle ship, ship of the line; aircraft carrier, carrier.    flattop [Coll.]; helicopter carrier; missile platform, missile boat; ironclad, turret ship, ram, monitor, floating battery; first-rate, frigate, sloop of war, corvette, gunboat, bomb vessel; flagship, guard ship, cruiser; armored cruiser, protected cruiser; privateer.    [supporting ships] tender; store ship, troop ship; transport, catamaran; merchant marine.    ... show more

Dutch: oorlogsveteraan, oud-strijder, oudgediende, veteraan
Polish: weteran, wiarus

A person who has served in the armed forces.

synonyms: ex-serviceman, vet.

Dutch: veteraan
Polish: weteran, wiarus

An experienced person who has been through many battles; someone who has given long service.

synonyms: old-timer, old hand, old stager, oldtimer, stager, warhorse.

Roget 130: veteran, old man, seer, patriarch, graybeard; grandfather, grandsire; grandam; gaffer, gammer; crone; pantaloon; sexagenarian, octogenarian, nonagenarian, centenarian; old stager; dotard etc. 501.    preadamite^†, Methuselah, Nestor, old Parr; elders; forefathers etc. (paternity) 166.    ... show more

Roget 700: proficient, expert, adept, dab; dabster^†, crackerjack; connoisseur etc. (scholar) 492; master, master hand; prima donna [Sp.], first fiddle, top gun, chef de cuisine, top sawyer; protagonist; past master; mahatma.    picked man; medallist, prizeman^†.    veteran; old stager, old campaigner, old soldier, old file, old hand; man of business, man of the world.    nice hand, good hand, clean hand; practiced hand, experienced eye, experienced hand; marksman; good shot, dead shot, crack shot; ropedancer, funambulist^†, acrobat; cunning man; conjuror etc. (deceiver) 548; wizard etc. 994.    genius; mastermind, master head, master spirit.    cunning blade, sharp blade, sharp fellow; jobber; cracksman etc. (thief) 792^†; politician, tactician, strategist.    pantologist^†, admirable Crichton, Jack of all trades; prodigy of learning.    ... show more

Dutch: old-timer, oldtimer, oudgediende, veteraan
Polish: weteran, dinozaur, kombatant

Rendered competent through trial and experience:
— Veteran steadiness.
— A veteran officer.

synonym: seasoned.