venial

adjective

ve·​nial ˈvē-nē-əl 

-nyəl

: of a kind that can be remitted : forgivable, pardonable

also : meriting no particular censure or notice : excusable

venial faults

venially adverb

venialness noun

Did you know?

What's the difference between venal and venial?

If you are given the choice between acts that are venal and those that are venial, go for the venial. Although the two words look and sound alike, they have very different meanings and histories. Venal demonstrates the adage that anything can be had if the price is high enough and the morals are low enough. That word originated with the Latin venum, which simply referred to something that was sold or for sale. Some of those transactions must have been rather shady because by the mid-1600s, venal had gained the sense of corruption it carries today. Venial sins, on the other hand, are pardonable, the kind that show that everyone makes mistakes sometimes. That forgiving term descends from venia, Latin for "favor," "indulgence," or "pardon."

Synonyms

• condonable
• excusable
• forgivable
• pardonable
• remissible
• remittable

Examples of venial in a Sentence

taking the restaurant's menu as a souvenir seems like a venial offense

Recent Examples on the Web

This would have encouraged him at sensitive ages and times in his life to seriously think about the distinctions between sins of omission and sins of commission, between white lies and perjury, between venial and mortal sins, and the relationship between knowledge, intention, and guilt. —Michael Brendan Dougherty, National Review, 5 Mar. 2021

But logging off—and returning to the sphere in which people are apt to forgive one another for venial affronts—is no longer an option. —Becca Rothfeld, The New Yorker, 21 Mar. 2022

And that loyalty has been reciprocated with job security and forgiveness of venial sins. —cleveland, 12 Dec. 2021

The list is long of international companies, and even celebrities, who’ve groveled in apology for sins as venial as recognizing Taiwan. —Kevin T. Dugan, Fortune, 8 Sep. 2021

This is, of course, the day-to-day venial reality for attorneys who don’t prosecute serial killers, and Saul can always extrapolate small crimes into tall tales. —Darren Franich, EW.com, 18 June 2020

Taibbi favors a cynical style evenly applied across the universe of real and perceived journalistic trespasses, challenging a reader to sort mortal from venial. —Ann Marie Lipinski, Washington Post, 18 Oct. 2019

His presence was more difficult to justify than the venial offenses of Spygate or Deflategate. —BostonGlobe.com, 22 Sep. 2019

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, borrowed from Anglo-French & Late Latin; Anglo-French, borrowed from Late Latin veniālis, from Latin venia "favor, kindness, indulgence, pardon" (derivative of a verbal base *wen- "desire," whence also vener-, venus "sexual desire") + -ālis -al entry 1 — more at venus

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing venial

• venial sin

Kids Definition

venial

adjective

ve·​nial ˈvē-nē-əl 

-nyəl

: not being a serious offense : forgivable

a venial sin