as in pardonable
worthy of forgiveness
taking the restaurant's menu as a souvenir seems like a venial offense
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Recent Examples of venial
But logging off—and returning to the sphere in which people are apt to forgive one another for venial affronts—is no longer an option.
—
Becca Rothfeld, The New Yorker, 21 Mar. 2022
And that loyalty has been reciprocated with job security and forgiveness of venial sins.
—cleveland, 12 Dec. 2021
The list is long of international companies, and even celebrities, who’ve groveled in apology for sins as venial as recognizing Taiwan.
—Kevin T. Dugan, Fortune, 8 Sep. 2021
This would have encouraged him at sensitive ages and times in his life to seriously think about the distinctions between sins of omission and sins of commission, between white lies and perjury, between venial and mortal sins, and the relationship between knowledge, intention, and guilt.
—Michael Brendan Dougherty, National Review, 5 Mar. 2021
This is, of course, the day-to-day venial reality for attorneys who don’t prosecute serial killers, and Saul can always extrapolate small crimes into tall tales.
—Darren Franich, EW.com, 18 June 2020
Taibbi favors a cynical style evenly applied across the universe of real and perceived journalistic trespasses, challenging a reader to sort mortal from venial.
—Ann Marie Lipinski, Washington Post, 18 Oct. 2019
His presence was more difficult to justify than the venial offenses of Spygate or Deflategate.
—BostonGlobe.com, 22 Sep. 2019
Becca Rothfeld, The New Yorker, 21 Mar. 2022
And that loyalty has been reciprocated with job security and forgiveness of venial sins.
—cleveland, 12 Dec. 2021
The list is long of international companies, and even celebrities, who’ve groveled in apology for sins as venial as recognizing Taiwan.
—Kevin T. Dugan, Fortune, 8 Sep. 2021
This would have encouraged him at sensitive ages and times in his life to seriously think about the distinctions between sins of omission and sins of commission, between white lies and perjury, between venial and mortal sins, and the relationship between knowledge, intention, and guilt.
—Michael Brendan Dougherty, National Review, 5 Mar. 2021
This is, of course, the day-to-day venial reality for attorneys who don’t prosecute serial killers, and Saul can always extrapolate small crimes into tall tales.
—Darren Franich, EW.com, 18 June 2020
Taibbi favors a cynical style evenly applied across the universe of real and perceived journalistic trespasses, challenging a reader to sort mortal from venial.
—Ann Marie Lipinski, Washington Post, 18 Oct. 2019
His presence was more difficult to justify than the venial offenses of Spygate or Deflategate.
—BostonGlobe.com, 22 Sep. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for venial
Adjective
-
But in this instance, the breach is entirely pardonable, because these two men, Jun and Arthur, have just gotten married.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 Aug. 2025
-
All this is to say that any excesses of enthusiasm for Friday (and Thursday) might seem pardonable, although each day reached the thermal pinnacle of the 80s.—
Martin Weil,
Washington Post,
19 July 2024
Adjective
-
The time when teachers gain popularity points for airing local team’s games, and kindly bosses understand that Thursday is an excusable sick day.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
15 Mar. 2026
-
Some experts believe there are instances where the practice is excusable.—
Theara Coleman,
TheWeek,
9 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
All this might be forgivable if the secretary were not conspicuously incompetent.—
Steve Chapman,
Chicago Tribune,
1 Apr. 2026
-
Maybe if Monroe and Withers had any chemistry, Reminders of Him would be more forgivable.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
14 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The justifiable fury over that incident was probably one of the reasons One Battle won in the first place.—
Steven Zeitchik,
HollywoodReporter,
16 Mar. 2026
-
Somehow, Jacob Elordi was able to pull a genuinely affecting performance out of this mess, which makes his nomination the only justifiable one of this movie’s bloated haul.—
Joe Reid,
Vulture,
10 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Venial.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/venial. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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