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venial

[ vee-nee-uhl, veen-yuhl ]
/ ˈvi ni əl, ˈvin yəl /
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See synonyms for: venial / veniality on Thesaurus.com

adjective
able to be forgiven or pardoned; not seriously wrong, as a sin (opposed to mortal).
excusable; trifling; minor: a venial error; a venial offense.
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Origin of venial

1250–1300; Middle English <Medieval Latin veniālis, equivalent to Latin veni(a) grace, favor, indulgence (akin to venus;see venerate, Venus) + -ālis-al1

OTHER WORDS FROM venial

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH venial

venal, venial
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Ā© Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use venial in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for venial

venial
/ (ˈviːnÉŖÉ™l) /

adjective
easily excused or forgivena venial error

Derived forms of venial

veniality (ˌviːnɪ'ælɪtɪ), nounvenially, adverb

Word Origin for venial

C13: via Old French from Late Latin veniālis, from Latin venia forgiveness; related to Latin venus love
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition Ā© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 Ā© HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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