Venal
adj ·Moderate ·College level
Definitions
- 1 Venous; pertaining to veins. archaic, rare
- 2 For sale; available for purchase. archaic
"Because lips libertine and and venal had murmured such words to him, he believed but little in the candour of hers; […]."
- 3 Of a position, privilege etc.: available for purchase rather than assigned on merit.
"Thus, regimental commands in the army were – as with the judiciary or the financial bureaucracy – venal posts, which were purchased, bequeathed and sold among the nobility."
- 4 Capable of being bought (of a person); willing to take bribes.
- 5 Corrupt, mercenary.
"Though there is a disposition in mankind, to declaim against the corruption and peculation of the present times, as being more venal than formerly; yet, if we look back to different periods, we shall find statesmen and politicians, as selfish and corrupt, […] as those who have lately figured on the political stage."
- 1 capable of being corrupted wordnet
Example
More examples"Can someone explain to me why a venal judge was appointed?"
Etymology
From Latin vēna (“vein”) + -al.
Borrowed from French vénal, from Old French venel, from Latin vēnālis (“for sale”), from vēnum (“something for sale”); compare English vend.
Related phrases
More for "venal"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.