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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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Some might say the new Aurora Regional Navigation Campus that opened recently in a former 255-room hotel is undergirded by one of humanity’s seven deadly sins — envy. John Aguilar, Denver Post, 28 Nov. 2025 On its seven terraces, people suffer torments not for the sake of punishment but to be cured of their predilection for however many of the seven deadly sins—Pride, Envy, Lust, etc.—they’ve committed. Claudia Roth Pierpont, New Yorker, 24 Nov. 2025 But, she wasn’t named for the seven deadly sins, either, so that’s a plus. Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Nov. 2025 Sloth, after all, is a deadly sin, and it was often seen as the first step on the slippery slope to perdition. JSTOR Daily, 31 Oct. 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 6 Dec. 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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