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
Even though a lot of what happens in the book borders on the ridiculous because of the behavior of narcissistic selfish venal individuals.
—
David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 26 Dec. 2025
One argued that what Janis took to be a herd mentality might just as well be seen as deliberate, venal compliance.
—David Merritt Johns, The Atlantic, 2 Nov. 2025
Berger and Nina Gold cast Tilda Swinton as Cynthia Blithe, the private investigator who tracks him, laser like, to China, with Fala Chen playing Dao Ming, the savvy hostess who sees something behind Doyle’s desperate tactics, and Alex Jennings as an expat of the most venal variety.
—Baz Bamigboye, Deadline, 2 Sep. 2025
Farmers, multinational firms, and other venal special interests have captured policymaking.
—Andrew Moravcsik, Foreign Affairs, 10 Dec. 2019
See All Example Sentences for venal
David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 26 Dec. 2025
One argued that what Janis took to be a herd mentality might just as well be seen as deliberate, venal compliance.
—David Merritt Johns, The Atlantic, 2 Nov. 2025
Berger and Nina Gold cast Tilda Swinton as Cynthia Blithe, the private investigator who tracks him, laser like, to China, with Fala Chen playing Dao Ming, the savvy hostess who sees something behind Doyle’s desperate tactics, and Alex Jennings as an expat of the most venal variety.
—Baz Bamigboye, Deadline, 2 Sep. 2025
Farmers, multinational firms, and other venal special interests have captured policymaking.
—Andrew Moravcsik, Foreign Affairs, 10 Dec. 2019
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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Smuggling — sometimes by rope, sometimes with the help of corrupt jail guards — has long been a problem at the troubled federal jail, which has been plagued by violence, horrific conditions and severe staffing shortages for years.—
John Annese,
New York Daily News,
29 Mar. 2026
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No corrupt leader enriching himself and the Epstein class buddies.—
Diego Parrado,
Vanity Fair,
29 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Venal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/venal. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.
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