Synonyms for venal
ˈvin lve·nal

English Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. venal

   Venal (Latin venalis, from venum, sale) signifies ready to sell one's influence, vote, or efforts for money or other consideration; mercenary (Latin mercenarius, from merces, pay, reward) signifies influenced chiefly or only by desire for gain or reward; thus, etymologically, the mercenary can be hired, while the venal are openly or actually for sale; hireling (Anglo-Saxon hyrling, from hyr) signifies serving for hire or pay, or having the spirit or character of one who works or of that which is done directly for hire or pay. Mercenary has especial application to character or disposition; as, a mercenary spirit; mercenary motives — i. e., a spirit or motives to which money is the chief consideration or the moving principle. The hireling, the mercenary, and the venal are alike in making principle, conscience, and honor of less account than gold or sordid considerations; but the mercenary and venal may be simply open to the bargain and sale which the hireling has already consummated; a clergyman may be mercenary in making place and pay of undue importance while not venal enough to forsake his own communion for another for any reward that could be offered him. The mercenary may retain much show of independence; hireling service sacrifices self-respect as well as principle; a public officer who makes his office tributary to private speculation in which he is interested is mercenary; if he receives a stipulated recompense for administering his office at the behest of some leader, faction, corporation, or the like, he is both hireling and venal; if he gives essential advantages for pay, without subjecting himself to any direct domination, his course is venal, but not hireling. Compare PAY; VENIAL.

   Synonyms:
   hireling, mercenary, purchasable, salable

   Antonyms:
   disinterested, generous, honest, honorable, incorruptible, patriotic, public-spirited, unpurchasable

Complete Dictionary of Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. venal

   Synonyms:
   sordid, mercenary, prostitute, selfish, selfish, held for pay, hireling

   Antonyms:
   disinterested, unmercenary, incorrupt

Princeton's WordNetRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. corruptible, bribable, dishonest, purchasable, venaladjective

   capable of being corrupted

   "corruptible judges"; "dishonest politicians"; "a purchasable senator"; "a venal police officer"

   Synonyms:
   for sale, purchasable, bribable, dishonest, corruptible, dishonorable

   Antonyms:
   incorrupt

Dictionary of English SynonymesRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. venaladjective

   Synonyms:
   mercenary, purchasable, hireling, sordid

Synonyms, Antonyms & Associated WordsRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. venaladjective

   Synonyms:
   purchasable, mercenary, hireling

Suggested Resources

1. Venal

   Venal vs. Venial -- In this Grammar.com article you will learn the differences between the words Venal and Venial.

How to pronounce venal?

How to say venal in sign language?

Usage in printed sourcesFrom: 

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Words popularity by usage frequency

How to use venal in a sentence?

1. Nathan Brown:

   The result is likely to seem obstructionist and venal. It will be both, but that's the way it has been designed.

2. Nathan Brown:

   It will be difficult to cobble together a majority.  The regime is likely to find it a nuisance. Individual deputies will have an incentive to make a lot of noise or to secure benefits for those who elected them, the result is likely to seem obstructionist and venal. It will be both, but that's the way it has been designed.

3. Don Beyer:

   Hurricane Dorian direct attacks on the scientists and federal employees, whom Hurricane Dorian threatened to fire for doing their jobs by accurately reporting the weather, are an embarrassing new low for a member of this Cabinet which has been historically venal and incompetent.