veniality

A friend's veniality in forgetting a meeting is quickly forgiven.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • The quality of being forgivable or excusable: "veniality" refers to the state or characteristic of a fault, offense, or sin being minor or trivial enough to be pardoned or overlooked. It is often used in religious, moral, or ethical contexts to describe transgressions that are not considered grave or mortal.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The veniality of his mistake was acknowledged, and he was quickly forgiven. (The minor nature of his error meant it could be excused.)
  • In Catholic theology, the veniality of a sin determines whether it requires confession. (The forgivability of a sin influences its ritual treatment.)

Advanced Usage

• "the veniality of an offense": the trivial or pardonable character of a wrongdoing.
  • The judge considered the veniality of the crime when issuing a light sentence. (The judge viewed the crime as minor and thus forgivable.)

Variants and Related Words

• Venial (adj): capable of being forgiven; not serious.
  • Her venial lie was told to avoid hurting feelings. (A minor lie that is excusable.)
• Venialness (n): an alternative form of "veniality," meaning the same quality.
  • The venialness of the transgression made it easy to overlook. (The triviality of the wrongdoing.)

Synonyms

• Forgivability: the capacity to be pardoned.
• Pardonableness: the quality of being open to forgiveness.
• Triviality: the state of being unimportant or minor.

Related Idioms

• A venial sin: a minor wrongdoing that does not sever one's relationship with God (especially in Christian theology).
  • He confessed only his venial sins, as the mortal ones were more serious. (He admitted to minor faults, not grave ones.)