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View synonyms for

venial

[ vee-nee-uhl, veen-yuhl ]

adjective

  1. able to be forgiven or pardoned; not seriously wrong, as a sin ( mortal ).
  2. excusable; trifling; minor:

    a venial error; a venial offense.

    Synonyms: , ,



venial

/ ˌviːnɪ'ælɪtɪ; ˈviːnɪəl /

adjective

  1. easily excused or forgiven

    a venial error

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Derived Forms

  • ˈԾ, adverb
  • veniality, noun
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Other Word Forms

  • n·i·ٲ n··Ա noun
  • n·· adverb
  • ܲ·n· adjective
  • un·n·· adverb
  • un·n··Ա noun
  • ܲv·Ծ·i·ٲ noun
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Word History and Origins

Origin of venial1

1250–1300; Middle English < Medieval Latin Ծ, equivalent to Latin veni ( a ) grace, favor, indulgence (akin to venus; venerate, Venus ) + - -al 1
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Word History and Origins

Origin of venial1

C13: via Old French from Late Latin Ծ, from Latin venia forgiveness; related to Latin venus love
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

The enormity of Catherine’s cancer diagnosis, and her plea for “time, space and privacy,” have eclipsed the venial sins of Kate-Gate.

From

Besides the many venial sins uncovered by the authors, a graver set of dubious practices emerges.

From

There are mortal lies and venial lies, cruel lies and merciful lies.

From

“People are venial, people want attention, people are angry, people are jealous,” the governor said.

From

Gene Weingarten’s entertaining and otherwise accurate list of venial sins in his Nov. 1 Washington Post Magazine column, “Gene engages in venial labor,” reflected an error of canonical proportion.

From

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veni-venial sin