venal

[ veen-l ]
/ ˈvin l /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR venal ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

willing to sell one's influence, especially in return for a bribe; open to bribery; mercenary: a venal judge.
able to be purchased, as by a bribe: venal acquittals.
associated with or characterized by bribery: a venal administration; venal agreements.

Origin of venal

1645–55; < Latin vēnālis, equivalent to vēn(um) (accusative) for sale (cf. vend) + -ālis -al1

synonym study for venal

1. See corrupt.

OTHER WORDS FROM venal

ve·nal·ly, adverb non·ve·nal, adjective non·ve·nal·ly, adverb un·ve·nal, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH venal

venal venial

Words nearby venal

vena cava, vena contracta, venacavography, venae cavernosae penis, venae rectae, venal, venality, venatic, venation, vend, venda

Words related to venal

unscrupulous, crooked, immoral, dishonest, corrupt, unethical, amoral, bent, double-dealing, mercenary, padded, unprincipled, unprofessional, conscienceless, purchasable, buyable

Example sentences from the Web for venal

British Dictionary definitions for venal

venal
/ (ˈviːnəl) /

adjective

easily bribed or corrupted; mercenary a venal magistrate
characterized by corruption a venal civilization
open to purchase, esp by bribery a venal contract

Derived forms of venal

venality (viːˈnælɪtɪ), noun venally, adverb

Word Origin for venal

C17: from Latin vēnālis, from vēnum sale