SINCE 1828
mortal sin
nounDefinition 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
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. — 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. — 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. — 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. — Tyler Arnold, National Review, "Pope Francis’s Controversial Step on Communion for the Divorced and Remarried," 12 Dec. 2017 In these circumstances, personal device/account use is a venal rather than mortal sin. — Andy Wright, Slate Magazine, "Do Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump’s private email accounts violate the Presidential Records Act?," 10 Oct. 2017 And in Obamaworld, straying outside your lane was a mortal sin. — Katy Waldman, Slate Magazine, "This memoir by a former White House speechwriter (and joke writer) is irresistibly charming. It also feels like the setup for a grim cosmic punch line.," 29 Sep. 2017 The house's floor plan in the film is clearly an octagon: assuming one side for the front entry way, there would be seven rooms on the ground floor, each one corresponding to Catholicism's mortal sins. — Eliana Dockterman, Time, "An Exhaustive List of all the References We Could Find in Mother!," 15 Sep. 2017These 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.
Keep scrolling for more
Keep scrolling for more
Comments on mortal sin
What made you want to look up mortal sin? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
Test Your Vocabulary
What did you just call me?! A Quiz
-
- If a member of the audience describes your speech as bombastic, does that person mean it is:
Test your visual vocabulary with our 10-question challenge!
TAKE THE QUIZ
Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.
TAKE THE QUIZ
Share mortal sin
Resources for mortal sin