venality
Ethics for sale
Venality is the quality of being open to bribery or corruption—willing to sell out principles for money or personal gain.
The word applies to officials who accept bribes, journalists who slant coverage for payment, or anyone whose integrity has a price tag: The venality of local politicians was an open secret.
Venal is the adjective.
Dishonest abuse of power
- graftIllicit political gain
- kickbackIllegal payment for services
- payoffCulminating benefit received
- baksheeshGratuity or small bribe
backhander · sweetener · palm-greasing · under-the-table · inducement · lubrication · boodle · sop
State-sponsored looting system
- cronyismFavoring friends in appointments
- nepotismPreferring kin in hiring
- malfeasanceUnlawful act by officeholder
- patronageSupporter's financial backing
graft · pay-to-play · lobbying · pork-barrel · oligarchy · plutocracy · embezzlement
Excessive desire for riches
- mercenarySoldier fighting for pay
- money-grubbingObsessively seeking wealth
- rapacityAggressive, seizing greed
- acquisitivenessDesire to gather wealth
covetousness · graspingness · profiteering · insatiability · mammonism · gold-digging · cupidity
Disposition toward falsehood
- unscrupulousnessLack of ethical restraint
- amoralityLacking ethical concern
- turpitudeInherent wickedness or vileness
- perfidyDeliberate breach of trust
duplicity · unprincipled · conscienceless · shamelessness · baseness · dishonorable · unethical · two-faced
Concern for personal advantage
- expediencyPrioritizing practicality over ethics
- self-seekingPrioritizing personal benefit
- exploitationSelfish use of others
- MachiavellianismCunning, amoral statecraft
maneuvering · calculating · careerist · time-serving · sycophancy · toadying · trimming · obsequiousness
corruption
Dishonest abuse of power
baksheesh · backhander · sweetener · palm-greasing · under-the-table · inducement · lubrication · boodle · sop · fix
kleptocracy
State-sponsored looting system
- cronyismFavoring friends in appointments
- nepotismPreferring kin in hiring
- malfeasanceUnlawful act by officeholder
patronage · graft · pay-to-play · lobbying · pork-barrel · oligarchy · plutocracy · embezzlement
avarice
Excessive desire for riches
- mercenarySoldier fighting for pay
- money-grubbingObsessively seeking wealth
- rapacityAggressive, seizing greed
acquisitiveness · covetousness · graspingness · profiteering · insatiability · mammonism · gold-digging · cupidity
dishonesty
Disposition toward falsehood
- unscrupulousnessLack of ethical restraint
- amoralityLacking ethical concern
- turpitudeInherent wickedness or vileness
perfidy · duplicity · unprincipled · conscienceless · shamelessness · baseness · dishonorable · unethical · two-faced · self-dealing
self-interest
Concern for personal advantage
- expediencyPrioritizing practicality over ethics
- self-seekingPrioritizing personal benefit
- exploitationSelfish use of others
Machiavellianism · maneuvering · calculating · careerist · time-serving · sycophancy · toadying · trimming · obsequiousness
- corruptioncorruption, graft, kickbacks, bribery, bribes
- greedgreed, avarice, covetousness, cupidity, materialism
- dishonestydishonesty, deceit, duplicity, lying, mendacity
- Not Straightbent, curve, twist, warp, kink
- French taxationcapitation, corvee, aides, salt tax, direct taxes
venalityincorruptibility
Immunity to moral compromise
integrity · honesty · honor · uprightness · probity
venalityidealism
Belief in noble principles
selflessness · altruism · disinterestedness · nobility · high-mindedness