7 April 2018

venial

[vee-nee-uh l, veen-yuh l]

adjective

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

Origin of venial

Middle English, Medieval Latin
1250-1300; Middle English < Medieval Latin veniālis, equivalent to Latin veni(a) grace, favor, indulgence (akin to venus; see venerate, Venus ) + -ālis -al1

Related forms

veniality, venialness, noun
venially, adverb
unvenial, adjective
unvenially, adverb
unvenialness, noun

Can be confused

venal, venial.

Synonyms

2. slight, pardonable, forgivable.

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for venial

Contemporary Examples

The SEC charging Goldman with securities fraud is like the Vatican charging a priest with venial sin.
The Fallacy of ‘Fraud’
Alan M. Dershowitz
April 16, 2010

Historical Examples

Now that she was caught, she no longer thought of her offense as venial.
Hooking Watermelons
Edward Bellamy

Those who keep the fast “will be pardoned all their past venial sins.”
The Faith of Islam
Edward Sell

Anagram

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Today’s quote

Every saint has a past, and every sinner has a future.

– Oscar Wilde

On this day

7 April 1933 – beer available again in 19 U.S. states since it had been banned on 16 January 1920.

7 April 1947 – death of Henry Ford, American industrialist and car maker. Born 30 July 1863.