Englishvenial
adjective
he had compounded a number of venial failings with the mortal sin of adultery:
pardonable, forgivable, excusable, condonable, tolerable, permissible, allowable, understandable, justifiable;
slight, minor, unimportant, insignificant, trivial, trifling, not serious, all right, within accepted bounds.
▷antonyms unforgivable, unpardonable, mortal.
| easily confused words | venial or venal? |
| There is only one letter's difference in the spelling of these words; but it marks the difference between a word used to excuse a minor transgression and one denoting something far worse. Venialis a Christian theological term for a sin that is less serious than a mortal sin; more loosely, it denotes faults or offences that are regarded as slight and pardonable (smoking cigarettes became a venial sin in suburban high schools). Venal, on the other hand, means ‘susceptible to bribery’ (drug traffickers flourish where policemen are venal or lazy). | |
venial Oxford Dictionary of English