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Definition of mortal sin
: a sin (such as murder) that is deliberately committed and is of such serious consequence according to Thomist theology that it deprives the soul of sanctifying grace — compare venial sin sense 1
Examples of mortal sin in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web As a child, McHale was taught that the Catholic Church considered homosexuality a mortal sin.
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USA Today, "Most priests accused of sexually abusing children were never sent to prison. Here's why," 12 Nov. 2019 Alone, none of these technical issue are mortal sins.
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Kyle Orland, Ars Technica, "Borderlands 3 is a lot more Borderlands, in ways both good and bad," 17 Sep. 2019 Fry, however, committed the mortal sin of walking the lead-off man in the bottom of the 12th — Harold Castro, who went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and two walks.
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Anthony Fenech, Detroit Free Press, "Detroit Tigers give sparse crowd thrills, win on John Hicks' grand slam in 12 innings," 15 Sep. 2019 Yes, the running back held out (and eventually sued the Raiders to become a free agent, in 1991), but that was nothing compared to Allen's mortal sin, in Davis's eyes, of lacking quickness.
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Jon Wertheim, SI.com, "How the Influence of Al Davis Shaped the Modern NFL," 27 Aug. 2019 The characters’ stories intersect, but each is seeking redemption for a different all-consuming regret, while trying to survive a world where regret is a mortal sin.
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Adi Robertson, The Verge, "We Happy Few is a creepy, fascinating game that gets lost in its own ambition," 10 Aug. 2018 If giving Pittsburgh power plays is mortal sin No. 1, giving them open ice with 4-on-4s is a close second.
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Ed Barkowitz, Philly.com, "Flyers penalize themselves in loss to Penguins in NHL playoffs," 15 Apr. 2018 As long as owners aren’t dumb enough to repeat their mortal sin of collusion, players are getting squeezed by a new world order.
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Tom Verducci, SI.com, "The Free Agent Market is Frozen Because the Players Bargained for Luxury, not Labor," 2 Feb. 2018 This caused confusion among some Catholics, who saw the statements as violating Canon 915 in the Code of Canon Law, which forbids anyone whose soul is in a state of mortal sin from receiving the Eucharist.
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Tyler Arnold, National Review, "Pope Francis’s Controversial Step on Communion for the Divorced and Remarried," 12 Dec. 2017
See MoreThese example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'mortal sin.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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The first known use of mortal sin was in the 15th century
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