venality

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

/ viˈnæl ɪ ti, və- /

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noun

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

QUIZ

QUIZ YOURSELF ON "WAS" VS. "WERE"!

Were you ready for a quiz on this topic? Well, here it is! See how well you can differentiate between the uses of "was" vs. "were" in this quiz.

Question 1 of 7

“Was” is used for the indicative past tense of “to be,” and “were” is only used for the subjunctive past tense.

Origin of venality

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

Over 900,000 Americans are likely dead of this disease, many of them because of the incompetence, self-serving politics and venality of the last administration.
The Pandemic Is a $50 Billion Test That Rich Countries Are Failing|David Rothkopf|July 22, 2021|The Daily Beast
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|DAILY BEAST
There was much talk of jobs and fairness and the enduring venality of Marco Rubio.
Black American Leadership Alliance D.C. Anti-Immigration Rally Wilts|Michelle Cottle|July 16, 2013|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST

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|DAILY BEAST
He was a reformer of abuses, publishing the most severe acts against venality, and deciding quarrels on principles of justice.
Beacon Lights of History, Volume V|John Lord
He saw the power of reconstruction, its ignorance, its venality accentuated to a degree that provoked his abhorrence.
The Broken Sword|Dennison Worthington
A Parliament which has exhibited its venality so openly can have little pretension to public confidence.
The Knight Of Gwynne, Vol. I (of II)|Charles James Lever
He knows the corrupt workings of politicians, the venality of biased courts, the weakness of the human heart when tempted by gold.
The Happy Family|Bertha Muzzy Bower
There was nothing shocking in all this venality to the bulk of the Johannesburg speculator class and others of that category.
Origin of the Anglo-Boer War Revealed (2nd ed.)|C. H. Thomas