as in corruptible
open to improper influence and especially bribery
that judge is known for being venal and easily bought
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Recent Examples of venal
Fort Lauderdale Commissioner John Herbst is right to be outraged with Mayor Dean Trantalis and Commissioner Steve Glassman for their venal appeasement of the Beckham Group and concession of city land at Fort Lauderdale Stadium at the cost of our park in District 1.
—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 7 July 2025
Prigozhin would blame Russian military command for not passing on warnings, but the fault just as likely lay inward; his outfit was as venal and shot through with corruption as his master’s regime.
—Nicolas Niarchos, New York Times, 13 May 2025
In an age when Congress is increasingly a repository for publicity-seeking fools and venal pocket-liners rather than legislators, the Democratic voters of New York’s 16th congressional district have a rare opportunity to exchange a clown and antisemite for a more standard-issue liberal.
—The Editors, National Review, 25 June 2024
He was concerned with how a great power handles multiple internal crises—the faltering of the institutions of domestic order, the craftiness of unmoored and venal politicians, the first tremors of systemic illegitimacy.
—Charles King, Foreign Affairs, 30 June 2020
See All Example Sentences for venal
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 7 July 2025
Prigozhin would blame Russian military command for not passing on warnings, but the fault just as likely lay inward; his outfit was as venal and shot through with corruption as his master’s regime.
—Nicolas Niarchos, New York Times, 13 May 2025
In an age when Congress is increasingly a repository for publicity-seeking fools and venal pocket-liners rather than legislators, the Democratic voters of New York’s 16th congressional district have a rare opportunity to exchange a clown and antisemite for a more standard-issue liberal.
—The Editors, National Review, 25 June 2024
He was concerned with how a great power handles multiple internal crises—the faltering of the institutions of domestic order, the craftiness of unmoored and venal politicians, the first tremors of systemic illegitimacy.
—Charles King, Foreign Affairs, 30 June 2020
See All Example Sentences for venal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for venal
Adjective
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From fragmented records to corruptible datasets and the general noise across social media, agentic systems are facing a trust and truth crisis at the most fundamental level.—
Lawrence Wintermeyer,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
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Iran prefers weak allies over strong ones, and corrupt and corruptible governments over ones that respond to their citizens’ needs.—
Graeme Wood,
The Atlantic,
2 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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According to the latest 2024 Transparency International report, the Americas average 42 out of 100 points on a scale where 100 is very transparent and zero is very corrupt.—
Sofía Benavides,
CNN Money,
14 Sep. 2025
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With the help of Landy and Nicky Parsons, Bourne goes up against Vosen (David Strathairn), the corrupt director of Operation Blackbriar.—
Declan Gallagher,
Entertainment Weekly,
13 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Venal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/venal. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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