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GRE vocabulary

venal

adjectiveHigh-frequency wordMore V words

willing to be bribed or act corruptly for money

Word origin: From Latin venalis, for sale.

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In a sentence

Venal in a sentence

Here are example sentences showing venal in a sentence.

The venal official accepted payments to overlook safety violations.

Investigators uncovered a venal inspector who waved through violations in exchange for cash.

Synonyms
corruptbribablemercenarycrooked
Antonyms
honestincorruptible

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Verbal · Sentence Equivalence

The treaty's terms were deliberately blank, allowing each side to interpret the key clauses in whatever way best suited its own interests.

Select the two answers that give the sentence the same meaning. 0 of 2 selected.

Usage & nuance

Using “venal” well

Venal means willing to be bribed or to act corruptly for money, describing people or conduct. Do not confuse it with venial, which means a minor, forgivable fault.

Common questions

Questions about “venal”

Venal (adjective) means willing to be bribed or act corruptly for money
Here is venal used in an example sentence: "The venal official accepted payments to overlook safety violations." Another example: "Investigators uncovered a venal inspector who waved through violations in exchange for cash."
Common synonyms for venal include corrupt, bribable, mercenary, crooked.
Antonyms of venal include honest, incorruptible.
Clusters with corrupt, bribable, and mercenary in Sentence Equivalence. Its antonyms honest and incorruptible mark the opposite, and venial is a classic look-alike trap.
Yes. Venal is a high-frequency GRE word, so it is worth prioritising as you build your vocabulary.

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