Venial

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ˈviːni.əl/

Definitions

1. A minor fault or offense that is easily excused or forgiven, especially in moral or religious contexts
2. A minor transgression or wrongdoing that is pardonable and does not merit severe judgment or condemnation
3. An offense considered trivial enough to warrant forgiveness rather than serious punishment or moral censure

Etymology: Latin "venia" meant "forgiveness" or "pardon," and it gave English a word that sounds like it should mean "coming" but actually describes a sin that can be forgiven. In Christian theology, "veniale" was the term for a lesser sin, one that did not cut a person off from God's grace the way a "mortal" sin did. The Latin adjective "veniālis" carried the sense of "pardonable," and the word passed into Old French as "venial" before English borrowed it. That theological sense is why the word still carries a moral flavour today. A venial fault is not a crime but a slip, something that can be readily excused. The contrast with "mortal" sin, which the Church treated as deadly to the soul, is what gave the word its force, and English speakers have kept that contrast in ordinary use, describing a minor lapse as venial and a serious wrong as mortal.

Synonyms: forgivable, excusable

Antonyms: unforgivable, serious