ˈvēnēəl, -nyəl adjective
Etymology: Middle English, from Old French, from Late Latin venialis, from Latin venia indulgence, grace, privilege, pardon + -alis -al; akin to Latin venus love — more at win
1.
a. : of a kind that can be forgiven or remitted : not heinous nor damning — see venial sin
b. : meriting no particular censure or notice : minor or trivial in comparison with the whole in question : excusable , insignificant
the faults of this book … are few and venial — Dudley Fitts
the fastidious could carp at many minor slips … but they seem fairly venial — R.H.Bowers
2. obsolete : of a kind to be permitted : allowable , unobjectionable
• ve·nial·ly -əlē, -li adverb
• ve·nial·ness noun -es