Legal Definitions - venial

The term "venial" describes a transgression or offense that is considered minor and therefore forgivable or pardonable. It refers to an act that is not severe enough to warrant significant punishment or condemnation.

The term venial describes a minor fault, offense, or transgression that is considered easily forgivable or pardonable, rather than a serious wrongdoing.

Here are some examples to illustrate this concept:

• Imagine a new employee who, in their first week, accidentally uses the wrong template for a routine internal memo. While company policy dictates a specific format, this minor deviation does not affect the memo's clarity or purpose and causes no disruption to operations. This would be considered a venial error, as it is a small, easily corrected mistake that is readily forgivable by management.

• Consider a situation where a homeowner accidentally trims their hedge a few inches beyond their property line into a neighbor's yard. The neighbor notices but understands it was an unintentional oversight, causing no permanent damage or significant inconvenience. This minor encroachment is a venial transgression, as it is easily pardonable and does not warrant a serious dispute.

• In a business context, a supplier might deliver a small order of non-critical office supplies one day later than the agreed-upon date. If the client had sufficient stock and experienced no operational delays or financial losses due to this slight delay, the late delivery could be seen as a venialbreach of contract. Its impact is negligible, making it a forgivable oversight rather than a serious contractual failure.