deadly sin

noun

: one of seven sins of pride, covetousness, lust, anger, gluttony, envy, and sloth held to be fatal to spiritual progress

Examples of deadly sin in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Following two cops on the hunt for a serial killer who uses the seven deadly sins as his reasons to kill, the film also stars Morgan Freeman, Gwyneth Paltrow and Kevin Spacey. Jack Dunn, Variety, 24 June 2025 His depiction of the seven deadly sins as seagulls came to him in a dream. Caroline Reilly, Robb Report, 6 June 2025 During this period, pride was often found capitalized and linked to the Christian concept of the seven deadly sins. Juliana Kim, NPR, 28 May 2025 For many people, using artificial intelligence in any form is like breaking one of the seven deadly sins. Brian Welk, IndieWire, 3 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for deadly sin

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of deadly sin was in the 13th century

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Cite this Entry

“Deadly sin.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/deadly%20sin. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.

Kids Definition

deadly sin

noun
: one of seven sins of pride, covetousness, lust, anger, gluttony, envy, and sloth considered in Christianity to be very serious and believed to cause other sins

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