venal

adjective ve·nal \ ˈvē-nᵊl \

Updated on: 10 Apr 2018

Definition of venal

1 : capable of being bought or obtained for money or other valuable consideration : purchasable; especially : open to corrupt influence and especially bribery : mercenary

a venal legislator

2 : originating in, characterized by, or associated with corrupt bribery

a venal arrangement with the police

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venality

play \vi-ˈna-lə-tē\ noun

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venally

play \ˈvē-nᵊl-ē\ adverb

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Examples of venal in a Sentence

that judge is known for being venal and easily bought

Recent Examples of venal from the Web

Not since the Harding administration has the presidency conducted itself in so venal a fashion.

— jonathan chait, Daily Intelligencer, "Corruption, Not Russia, Is Trump’s Greatest Political Liability," 1 Apr. 2018
Although set in the present, the show is a direct descendant of 1940s noir films, in which an isolated man wanders through a venal Los Angeles, dealing with con men, gangsters, and a smart-cracking blonde.

— rachel syme, The New Republic, "HBO’s "Barry" refreshes elements of noir, as a hitman dreams of Hollywood.," 23 Mar. 2018
One likely reason is that as Xi’s immediate predecessors — Jiang Zemin and then Hu Jintao — increased the space for policy debate, this also led to factional politics and venal cliques that presented an existential challenge for the party.

— charlie campbell / beijing, Time, "'More Opposition in Mao's Time.' Why China's Xi Jinping May Have to Rule for Life," 12 Mar. 2018
Religious ideology and professions of faith, especially Catholic ones, are lampooned as idiotic and venal, but the satire will likely infuriate traditional believers of any stripe.

— jesse green, New York Times, "Review: In ‘Mankind,’ Men Are Men and Women Are Extinct," 8 Jan. 2018
The fear of being shaken down by venal bureaucrats and taxmen remains a powerful reason to stay below the radar.

— The Economist, "Emerging from the shadowsNarendra Modi wants to boost formalisation. How is he faring?," 1 Mar. 2018
And much of popular culture promotes misleading ideas about politics and politicians — that political change is easy, established politicians are typically venal, and politics is more personal than structural, to name a few stereotypes.

— furman daniel, Washington Post, "What ‘The West Wing’ tells us about the West Wing," 22 Jan. 2018
What the United States is immersed in now is not politics as usual but something much worse, with as venal, as vicious, and as openly racist a group of individuals as have ever controlled its government.

— kevin baker, New Republic, "There are no good old days to return to in U.S. politics. The truth about a post-Trump era.," 15 Feb. 2018
The world’s autocrats exploit popular intolerance of venal politicians to eliminate their rivals.

— moisés naím, The Atlantic, "Honest Politicians Won't Fix Corruption," 12 Dec. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'venal.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

If you are given the choice between acts that are "venal" and those that are "venial," go for the venial. Although the two words look and sound alike, they have very different meanings and histories. "Venal" demonstrates the adage that anything can be had if the price is high enough and the morals are low enough. That word originated with the Latin venum, which simply referred to something that was sold or for sale. Some of those transactions must have been rather shady, because by the mid-1600s, "venal" had gained the sense of corruption it carries today. "Venial" sins, on the other hand, are pardonable, the kind that show that everyone makes mistakes sometimes. That forgiving term descends from "venia," Latin for favor, "indulgence," or "pardon."

Origin and Etymology of venal

borrowed from Latin vēnālis "that may be bought, for sale," from *vēnus "sale" (attested only in accusative vēnum and dative vēnō, vēnuī; akin to Greek ônos "price," Sanskrit vasna- "price, value") + -ālis ¹-al

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1652

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year