venial sin

American  

noun

Roman Catholic Church.

1. a transgression against the law of God that does not deprive the soul of divine grace either because it is a minor offense or because it was committed without full understanding of its seriousness or without full consent of the will.

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venial sin British  

noun

1. Christianity a sin regarded as involving only a partial loss of grace Compare mortal sin

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Etymology

Origin of venial sin

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400

Example Sentences

In baseball, bunting to break up a perfect game is a mortal and not a venial sin.

From Washington Post • Nov. 13, 2020

A: I think the snooping for the box after having seen the email is completely understandable, or at the very least a venial sin.

From Slate • Feb. 21, 2018

That’s an awfully venial sin, and I think you’ll have to deal with your outsize feelings of grief on your own.

From Slate • Jul. 12, 2016

His self-absorption is at worst a venial sin, and his book's failings should be charged to its editor.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 30, 2015

A venial sin is one which, because of the unimportance of the precept involved, or in consequence of incomplete consent, does not destroy the state of grace.

From Grace, Actual and Habitual A Dogmatic Treatise by Preuss, Arthur