venality

[vee-nal-i-tee, vuh-]

See more synonyms for venality on Thesaurus.com

noun

the condition or quality of being venal; openness to bribery or corruption.

Origin of venality

From the Late Latin word vēnālitas, dating back to 1605–15. See venal, -ity

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for venality

Examples from the Web for venality

Contemporary Examples of venality

Even now, he is unwilling to take responsibility for the venality that landed him in jail.
The Messy, Sordid Story of Jim Greer, Charlie Crist’s Man to a Fault
Rick Wilson
June 29, 2014
But as Palin also demonstrated, eventually, evidence of venality and incompetence seeps in with the public at large.
Cain Plays the Victim Card
Michelle Goldberg
October 31, 2011
On the contrary, vanity more than venality was the problem at the top in Egypt.
Hosni Mubarak's Final Tragedy
Christopher Dickey
February 13, 2011

Historical Examples of venality

It is but fair to say that venality is not one of the characteristics of the German bureaucracy.
England and Germany
Emile Joseph Dillon
He was furious at times with the venality of his associates.
The Life of Napoleon Bonaparte
William Milligan Sloane
I was charged with indifference, with cowardice, with venality.
The Spectre In The Cart
Thomas Nelson Page
For all the venality of Europe was not confined to the Continent.
History of the United Netherlands, 1600-09, Vol. IV. Complete
John Lothrop Motley
Its uncleanness lacked the element of venality; that was all that could be said.
The Creators
May Sinclair

Word Origin and History for venality

n.

1610s, from French vénalité or directly from Late Latin venalitatem (nominative venalitas) "capable of being bought," from venalis (see venal).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper