venal

See also: vénal

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈviːnəl/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -iːnəl

Etymology 1

From Latin vēna (“vein”) +‎ -al.

Adjective

venal (comparative more venal, superlative most venal)

1. (rare, archaic) Venous; pertaining to veins.

Etymology 2

Borrowed from French vénal, from Old French venel, from Latin vēnālis (“for sale”), from vēnum (“something for sale”); compare English vend.

Adjective

venal (comparative more venal, superlative most venal)

1. (archaic) For sale; available for purchase.

   Synonym: purchasable

   • 1886, Gustave Flaubert, chapter XII, in Eleanor Marx-Aveling, transl., Madame Bovary: Provincial Manners […], London: Vizetelly & Co., […], →OCLC, part II, page 210:

     Because lips libertine and and venal had murmured such words to him, he believed but little in the candour of hers; […] .

2. Of a position, privilege etc.: available for purchase rather than assigned on merit.
   • 2002, Colin Jones, The Great Nation, Penguin, published 2003, page 140:

     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.

3. Capable of being bought (of a person); willing to take bribes.

   Synonym: crooked

   Antonyms: straight, honest, uncorrupt

4. (of behaviour etc.) Corrupt, mercenary.
   • 1785, The Times, 9 Feb 1785, page 1, column C:

     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.

Usage notes

Venal behavior (bribery/corruption) is not to be confused with venial behavior (mildly wrong behavior).

Related terms

• venality (noun)
• venally (adverb)

Translations

for sale, available for a price

• Bulgarian: продажен (bg) (prodažen)
• Catalan: venal (ca)
• Czech: prodejný
• Finnish: myytävänä
• French: vénal (fr)
• German: käuflich (de), erwerbbar (de), feilgeboten (de)
• Greek: παραδόπιστος (el) (paradópistos), αργυρώνητος (el) (argyrónitos), εξαγοράσιμος (el) (exagorásimos)
• Latin: vēnālis, nummarius
• Polish: na sprzedaż
• Russian: продажный (ru) m (prodažnyj)
• Spanish: venal (es)
• Swedish: fal (sv)
• Welsh: prynadwy

willing to take bribes

• Bulgarian: подкупен (bg) (podkupen)
• Czech: prodejný, úplatný
• Dutch: omkoopbaar (nl)
• Finnish: lahjottavissa oleva, korruptoitunut (fi)
• French: vénal (fr)
• Georgian: ანგარებიანი (angarebiani), მოსყიდული (mosq̇iduli), მექრთამე (mekrtame), დაქრთამული (dakrtamuli)
• German: käuflich (de), feil (de), korrupt (de), bestechlich (de)
• Greek: αργυρώνητος (el) (argyrónitos), δωροδοκούμενος (dorodokoúmenos)
• Latin: venalis, venale
• Polish: przekupny (pl), sprzedajny (pl)
• Russian: прода́жный (ru) (prodážnyj)
• Spanish: venal (es)
• Swedish: mutbar (sv), besticklig (sv)
• Welsh: prynadwy, (literary) hybryn

corrupt, mercenary

• Bulgarian: користен (bg) (koristen)
• Czech: prodejný, úplatný, zkažený (cs)
• French: vénal (fr)
• Georgian: კორუმპირებული (ḳorumṗirebuli)
• German: korrupt (de), verkommen (de), verderbt (de)
• Greek: παραδόπιστος (el) (paradópistos), αργυρώνητος (el) (argyrónitos)
• Italian: venale (it)
• Latin: venalis, venale, nummarius, nummaria, nummarium
• Polish: skorumpowany
• Spanish: venal (es)
• Swedish: korrumperad (sv), korrupt (sv)

Anagrams

• Alven, Levan, elvan, levan, navel

Catalan

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Northern, Central) [bəˈnal]
• IPA^(key): (Balearic) [vəˈnal]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia) [veˈnal]
• IPA^(key): (Northwestern) [beˈnal]

Etymology 1

From vena +‎ -al.

Adjective

venal m or f (masculine and feminine plural venals)

1. venal, venous

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Latin vēnālis (“for sale”), from vēnum (“something for sale”).

Adjective

venal m or f (masculine and feminine plural venals)

1. for sale, sellable
2. venal (willing to take bribes)

   Synonym: subornable

Further reading

• “venal”, in Diccionari de la llengua catalana [Dictionary of the Catalan Language] (in Catalan), second edition, Institute of Catalan Studies [Catalan: Institut d'Estudis Catalans], April 2007
• “venal”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2026
• “venal” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• Alcover, Antoni Maria; Moll, Francesc de Borja (1963), “venal”, in Diccionari català-valencià-balear (in Catalan)

Portuguese

Etymology

Etymology tree

Latin vēnum

Proto-Indo-European *h₂el-der.?

Proto-Italic *-ālis

Latin -ālis

Latin vēnālislbor.

Portuguese venal

Learned borrowing from Latin vēnālis.

Pronunciation

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /veˈnaw/ [veˈnaʊ̯]

 

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /vɨˈnal/ [vɨˈnaɫ]

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /vɨˈnal/ [vɨˈnaɫ]
  • (Northern Portugal) IPA^(key): /bɨˈnal/ [bɨˈnaɫ]
  • (Southern Portugal) IPA^(key): /vɨˈna.li/

• Rhymes: (Portugal) -al, (Brazil) -aw
• Hyphenation: ven‧nal

Adjective

venal m or f (plural venais, not comparable)

1. (anatomy) venal, venous (pertaining to veins)

   Synonym: venoso

2. related to sales, commercial

   Synonym: comercial

3. (figurative) easily bribable, capable of selling oneself; corrupt

   Synonym: corrupto

Derived terms

• venalmente

Further reading

• “venal”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2026

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French vénal, from Latin venalis. By surface analysis, venă +‎ -al.

Adjective

venal m or n (feminine singular venală, masculine plural venali, feminine/neuter plural venale)

1. venal, venous

Declension

Declension of venal

		singular			plural
		masculine	neuter	feminine	masculine	neuter	feminine
nominative- accusative	indefinite	venal		venală	venali	venale
	definite	venalul		venala	venalii	venalele
genitive- dative	indefinite	venal		venale	venali	venale
	definite	venalului		venalei	venalilor	venalelor

Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /beˈnal/ [beˈnal]
• Rhymes: -al
• Syllabification: ve‧nal

Etymology 1

Etymology tree

Spanish vena

Proto-Indo-European *h₂el-der.?

Proto-Italic *-ālis

Latin -ālis

Spanish -al

Spanish venal

From vena + -al.

Adjective

venal m or f (masculine and feminine plural venales)

1. venous

   Synonym: venoso

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Latin vēnālis (“for sale”), from vēnum (“something for sale”).

Adjective

venal m or f (masculine and feminine plural venales)

1. venal, corruptible
2. for sale, sellable

   Synonym: vendible

Derived terms

• valor venal

Further reading

• “venal”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025