VENIAL Synonyms: 33 Similar and Opposite Words

venial

adjective

ˈvē-nē-əl

Definition of venial

as in pardonable

worthy of forgiveness taking the restaurant's menu as a souvenir seems like a venial offense

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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 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

Definition of pardonable

Adjective

The assertion that an assault is excusable—or simply did not happen—because a perpetrator failed to recognize his victim strips women of their fundamental humanity.

— Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 9 Sep. 2026
The purpose of the Correspondents’ Dinner is often misunderstood, an excusable side-effect of the viral clips over the years that show sitting presidents roasting the media (and getting roasted by entertainers in return).

— Kyler Alvord, PEOPLE, 23 July 2026

Definition of excusable

Adjective

Ohio State’s loss is more forgivable and the odds to make the CFP reflect that.

— Dan Santaromita, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2026
His resistance toward the transfer portal would be more forgivable if Swinney was still landing top-five recruiting classes, but that isn't the reality anymore.

— Austin Perry OutKick, FOXNews.com, 7 Sep. 2026

Definition of forgivable

Adjective

The tax revolt was a successful attempt by a small group of ideologues to capitalize on people’s justifiable anger at the cost-of-living crisis that followed the war in Vietnam, along with California’s runaway home prices.

— Maggie McGowan, The New York Review of Books, 5 Sep. 2026
The valuation of Fernandez is entirely justifiable within the context of the huge fees paid by several Premier League clubs, and specifically City, for high-level central midfielders this summer.

— Liam Twomey, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of justifiable

Browse Nearby Words

venging

venial

venom

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“Venial.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/venial. Accessed 22 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of venial

adjective

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