VENALITY Synonyms: 66 Similar and Opposite Words

venality

noun

Definition of venality

as in shamelessness

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of venality There will be controversy, grift and venality, supporters will get lost and lose themselves in a fog of legalese, accounting and abbreviations — VAR, SCR, LOL, FFS — there will be ugliness and misgivings and a lot of meh. — George Caulkin, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026 The same amount of venality and virtue exists today as did back then, and so human nature just doesn’t change. — Ted Johnson, Deadline, 2 July 2026 The once-vaunted values of public life are now reduced to the lower standards of private life—venality, vulgarity, rudeness, incontinence, and ignorance. — Simon Sebag Montefiore, The Atlantic, 28 June 2026 Advertisement This is not the first time that Milei, who rose to power in part with attacks on the venality of Argentina’s elite, has been tarred with corruption accusations. — Ian Bremmer, Time, 10 Oct. 2025 Humor savors an infirmity — a foible, a failing, a venality, a flaw. — Big Think, 23 Sep. 2025 Somehow, the upper hand never lingers long with Sally and Barnaby, drolly played by Gunning and Corden as a conniving Tweedledee and Tweedledum, loyal to no one and convinced their venality is justified by their father’s history of terrible parenting. — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 9 Sep. 2025 The New Yorker’s Talk writer was similarly blinkered and callous, treating Grey like a consenting partner and Chaplin as a dual victim, of his mother-in-law’s venality and of Middle America’s moral prejudices. — Richard Brody, New Yorker, 25 Aug. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for venality

Noun

The lucrative example paved the way for more than two decades of musical theater shamelessness.

— Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 30 May 2026
The world has gotten a glimpse of the fawning, skeezy shamelessness of his famous hangers-on, but not enough to criminally implicate them.

— Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 14 Feb. 2026

Definition of shamelessness

Noun

Decades of fiscal profligacy, including the costs of an extended conflict with Japan in Korea, had drained the imperial treasury.

— Carl Minzner, Foreign Affairs, 5 Oct. 2026
His first-half profligacy, at odds with his attacking threat, exemplified that notion.

— Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 13 Aug. 2026

Definition of profligacy

Noun

Talarico’s success so far can partly be chalked up to voters’ apprehensions toward Paxton, who faced questions in his past over corruption, including being impeached by his own party in the Texas legislature.

— ABC News, ABC News, 15 Oct. 2026
Blagojevich was impeached, removed from office by a unanimous 59-0 Illinois Senate vote and convicted of federal corruption offenses.

— Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of corruption

Noun

There’s plenty of decadence to go around, not only in the amenities and treatments but culinarily speaking—a surprise seven-course chef’s table dinner at Rumari Counter is good for the soul—and the combination is divine.

— Kathryn Romeyn, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 Sep. 2026
But Pavese’s private concerns seem now to be the opposite of decadence.

— Max Norman, Harpers Magazine, 22 Sep. 2026

Definition of decadence

Noun

The degradation is shameful, and shamefully compelling to read about.

— James Wood, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2026
The work also revises some degradation mechanisms described in earlier scientific literature, which the researchers said had relied largely on assumptions rather than experimental evidence.

— Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of degradation

Noun

Speaking to the Freedom Fighters club in Arlington July 1, Hall said moral degeneracy, discipline issues and low literacy rates are products of removing the Bible from classrooms.

— Rachel Royster. Produced with AI assistance, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 July 2026
The team found that a near-infrared resolving power of at least 40 is the minimum needed to break that degeneracy.

— Paul Sutter, Space.com, 10 June 2026

Definition of degeneracy

Browse Nearby Words

venal

venality

vend

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Venality.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/venality. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of venality

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

compunction

Popular in Grammar & Usage

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Popular in Wordplay

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?

Popular

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

Games & Quizzes