cardinal sin
noun
: a very bad or serious sin in Christianity
—often used figuratively or humorously
Giving false information is a cardinal sin in news reporting.
He committed the cardinal sin of criticizing his boss.
Examples of cardinal sin in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
His cardinal sin was nationalizing (not expropriating) the hugely profitable Anglo-Iranian Oil Company in 1951 which British Prime Minister Winston Churchill postulated was integral to the British Navy.
—
Bruce Fein, Baltimore Sun, 15 May 2025
But when lawyers appear to be misrepresenting what is taking place, that is a cardinal sin in federal court.
—John E. Jones Iii, The Conversation, 18 Apr. 2025
For cybersecurity professionals, a failure to log activity is a cardinal sin and contradicts best practices.
—Jenna McLaughlin, NPR, 15 Apr. 2025
Pushing The Furniture Against The Walls The first cardinal sin of living room layouts may come as a shock to conventional wisdom.
—Heather Bien, Southern Living, 2 Apr. 2025
Even after just a short preview, the game’s monotony was a bore, which is a cardinal sin.
—Kazuma Hashimoto, Rolling Stone, 31 Mar. 2025
This would have been a cardinal sin in my childhood home.
—Amy Griffin, Vogue, 19 Feb. 2025
While the Whitney Houston bob was just a bad match for her face, almost all of her wigs have had something wrong with them this year, the biggest cardinal sin being that they were being lazily placed behind her hairline with minimal attempt to blend.
—Shamira Ibrahim, Vulture, 3 Feb. 2025
That leaves the ever-talented Gladstone seemingly stranded in a screenplay that fails to give her enough of a character — a cardinal sin from which the movie never recovers.
—Natalia Winkelman, IndieWire, 27 Jan. 2025
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Bruce Fein, Baltimore Sun, 15 May 2025
But when lawyers appear to be misrepresenting what is taking place, that is a cardinal sin in federal court.
—John E. Jones Iii, The Conversation, 18 Apr. 2025
For cybersecurity professionals, a failure to log activity is a cardinal sin and contradicts best practices.
—Jenna McLaughlin, NPR, 15 Apr. 2025
Pushing The Furniture Against The Walls The first cardinal sin of living room layouts may come as a shock to conventional wisdom.
—Heather Bien, Southern Living, 2 Apr. 2025
Even after just a short preview, the game’s monotony was a bore, which is a cardinal sin.
—Kazuma Hashimoto, Rolling Stone, 31 Mar. 2025
This would have been a cardinal sin in my childhood home.
—Amy Griffin, Vogue, 19 Feb. 2025
While the Whitney Houston bob was just a bad match for her face, almost all of her wigs have had something wrong with them this year, the biggest cardinal sin being that they were being lazily placed behind her hairline with minimal attempt to blend.
—Shamira Ibrahim, Vulture, 3 Feb. 2025
That leaves the ever-talented Gladstone seemingly stranded in a screenplay that fails to give her enough of a character — a cardinal sin from which the movie never recovers.
—Natalia Winkelman, IndieWire, 27 Jan. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Cardinal sin.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cardinal%20sin. Accessed 2 Jul. 2025.
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