venality
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of venality
From the Late Latin word vēnālitas, dating back to 1605–15. See venal, -ity
Explanation
Venality is the quality of being open to bribery or overly motivated by money. A government worker's venality might lead him to exchange state secrets for cash. Criminals are known for their venality, being willing to break the law for a financial reward. This kind of venality can vary from police officers accepting bribes to politicians making decisions and passing laws based on campaign contributions. The Late Latin root word is venalitatem, "capable of being bought," from venum, "for sale."
Vocabulary lists containing venality
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.
More broadly the play is a tart vivisection of human pettiness and venality, as one by one the characters’ prejudices, peccadilloes and blinkered views are exposed.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 23, 2026
You perceive Hale’s true colors immediately through those associations, just as you can see Ernest’s venality through DiCaprio’s immediately recognizable brand of boyish corruptibility.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 19, 2023
There are times when I complete a cartoon and feel as if I did not quite capture the full venality of my target.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 14, 2022
Taub and Sultan still make us care about Faraz and Tamar, however, and the show’s evocations of Iranian venality and nepotism and brutal Israeli realpolitik are more pointed than ever.
From New York Times ● May 10, 2022
The universal greed and venality are worthily matched by the endless anxiety of those who have won the prize.
From Roman Society from Nero to Marcus Aurelius by Samuel Dill
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.
