venal.

Willing to misuse influence or position in exchange for money or personal gain.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• venal official
• venal motives

On the page

A venal official sold the route of the prisoner’s escort.

She discovered that the judge’s loyalty was as venal as the clerk’s.

Usage notes

Primary category: literary. Forms: Comparative more venal; superlative most venal. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings.