venal
Americanadjective
-
willing to sell one's influence, especially in return for a bribe; open to bribery; mercenary.
a venal judge.
- Synonyms:
- corruptible, bribable
- Antonyms:
- incorruptible
-
able to be purchased, as by a bribe.
venal acquittals.
-
associated with or characterized by bribery.
a venal administration; venal agreements.
adjective
-
easily bribed or corrupted; mercenary
a venal magistrate
-
characterized by corruption
a venal civilization
-
open to purchase, esp by bribery
a venal contract
Synonym Usage
See corrupt.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of venal
1645–55; < Latin vēnālis, equivalent to vēn ( um ) (accusative) for sale ( cf. vend) + -ālis -al 1
Explanation
Someone with venal motives is corrupt and maybe a little evil. Nobody wants to be thought of as venal. Venal actions include taking bribes, giving jobs to your friends, and cheating. Venal means about the same thing as "corrupt" or "corruptible." Venal people are considered sleazy and untrustworthy. They're often criminals. No one is perfect, and most of us have venal motives at some point.
Vocabulary lists containing venal
30 GRE Words Beginning with "T" "U" "V" and "W"
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
100 SAT Words Beginning with "V"
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Commonly Confused Words, List 4
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The party has long grappled with venal insiders—including antigraft inspectors—who leak secrets about corruption probes in return for bribes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026
An agitated Jean finds herself praying to none other than Monica Lewinsky, the patron saint of bad romantic choices, or as Langbein puts it, “of those who suffer venal public shaming and patriarchal cruelty.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 22, 2026
Network, from 1976, cast him as a venal television producer.
From BBC ● Feb. 16, 2026
Delegates to the Constitutional Convention were desperate to protect their young nation against venal officeholders, discussing fears of corruption so frequently that James Madison made a special note of their preoccupation with the subject.
From Slate ● May 12, 2025
“But pride, venal pride, got the better of you. And to think, all this time we could’ve been working together toward a common good!”
From "Hollow City" by Ransom Riggs
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
