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definitions

venal

[ veen-l ]
/ ˈvin l /
||
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adjective

willing to sell one's influence, especially in return for a bribe; open to bribery; mercenary: a venal judge.
able to be purchased, as by a bribe: venal acquittals.
associated with or characterized by bribery: a venal administration; venal agreements.

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RELATED WORDS

unscrupulous, crooked, immoral, dishonest, corrupt, unethical, amoral, bent, double-dealing, mercenary, padded, unprincipled, unprofessional, conscienceless, purchasable, buyable

Nearby words

  1. vena cava,
  2. vena contracta,
  3. venacavography,
  4. venae cavernosae penis,
  5. venae rectae,
  6. venality,
  7. venally,
  8. venatic,
  9. venation,
  10. vend

Origin of venal

1645–55; < Latin vēnālis, equivalent to vēn(um) (accusative) for sale (cf. vend) + -ālis -al1
ANTONYMS FOR venal
1. incorruptible.
SEE MORE ANTONYMS FOR venal ON THESAURUS.COM
Related formsve·nal·ly, adverbnon·ve·nal, adjectivenon·ve·nal·ly, adverbun·ve·nal, adjective
Can be confusedvenal venial

Synonym study

1. See corrupt.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for venal

British Dictionary definitions for venal

venal

/ (ˈviːnəl) /

adjective

easily bribed or corrupted; mercenarya venal magistrate
characterized by corruptiona venal civilization
open to purchase, esp by briberya venal contract
Derived Formsvenality (viːˈnælɪtɪ), nounvenally, adverb

Word Origin for venal

C17: from Latin vēnālis, from vēnum sale
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for venal

venal

adj.

1650s, "offered for sale, capable of being obtained for a price," from French vénal, from Latin venalis "that is for sale," from venum (nominative *venus) "for sale," from PIE root *wes- "to buy, sell" (cf. Sanskrit vasnah "purchase money," vasnam "reward," vasnayati "he bargains, haggles;" Greek onos "price paid, purchase," oneisthai "to buy").

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper