venal

adjective ve·nal \ ˈvē-nᵊl \

|Updated on: 18 Jun 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

Garfield's co-star, Nathan Lane, nabbed a best featured actor statue for his performance as Roy Cohn, a venal power broker who was a mentor to Trump.

— NBC News, "Robert De Niro drops the F-bomb on Trump — twice — at Tonys," 11 June 2018
Some of India’s media have venal inclinations, making them prone to bribery by those who want to use them to get their message across.

— The Economist, "People in India often despair of their democracy," 31 May 2018
Almost always, the greater question has emerged only from the cover of a more limited and immediate scandal—the way the truth about the American right will be revealed, one venal payoff at a time, from any effective audit of the Trump government.

— kevin baker, The New Republic, "Why America needs truth and reconciliation after Trump," 17 May 2018
The satire lands on obvious Miami targets — the rich, the shallow, the venal, the felonious, status seekers and zealots of every stripe —and the punches connect with all the subtlety of a storm surge.

— miamiherald, "Tom Wolfe’s ‘Back to Blood’ revels in excess — just like Miami | Miami Herald," 19 Oct. 2012
Whether this self-interest is venal or foolish is irrelevant.

— nathaniel rich, The Atlantic, "The Novel That Asks, ‘What Went Wrong With Mankind?’," 11 May 2018
Portrait of injustice, caste prejudice, and venal politics in contemporary India. $9, 7 Speed members.

— gege reed, The Courier-Journal, "What to do around Louisville this week: Janet Jackson, Santa, speakeasy party & more," 29 Nov. 2017
His success at his new job leads to moral dilemmas and encounters with the company’s venal boss, played by Armie Hammer.

— carla meyer, San Francisco Chronicle, "Boots Riley’s and Daveed Diggs’ Oakland films lead alternative summer list," 27 Apr. 2018
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

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