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as in shame
a regrettable or blameworthy act it's a sin to waste food when people are starving

Synonyms & Similar Words

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sin

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verb

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun sin contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of sin are crime, offense, scandal, and vice. While all these words mean "a transgression of law," sin implies an offense against moral or religious law.

the sin of blasphemy

When could crime be used to replace sin?

The synonyms crime and sin are sometimes interchangeable, but crime implies a serious offense punishable by the law of the state.

the crime of murder

When would offense be a good substitute for sin?

In some situations, the words offense and sin are roughly equivalent. However, offense applies to the infraction of any law, rule, or code.

at that school no offense went unpunished

Where would scandal be a reasonable alternative to sin?

While in some cases nearly identical to sin, scandal applies to an offense that outrages the public conscience.

a career ruined by a sex scandal

When is vice a more appropriate choice than sin?

The meanings of vice and sin largely overlap; however, vice applies to a habit or practice that degrades or corrupts.

regarded gambling as a vice

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of sin
Noun
The tragic death of the Sepulveda family patriarch calls his descendants back to Villa Sepulveda, a Spanish colonial manor in a coconut plantation; but a landslide traps the guests inside, transforming the funeral plans into a supernatural reckoning of sins. Literary Hub, 3 Nov. 2025 Once, there were two sweet kids who came of age in the evangelical purity culture of the 1990’s, a world in which being LGBTQ+ or accepting anyone who was gay was seen as a sin that could send you straight to hell. Kelly Foster Lundquist, PEOPLE, 2 Nov. 2025
Verb
President Donald Trump sin the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House on August 11, 2025, in Washington D.C. Martha McHardy, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 Aug. 2025 Addressing the congregation that evening before offering Aaron some more personalized wisdom, Tim speaks about the necessity of accepting Jesus Christ into one’s life to counteract doubt and the temptation to sin. Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 24 Sep. 2024 See All Example Sentences for sin
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sin
Noun
  • The crimes with which she has been charged are trumped up and her arrest is a cynical ploy by the junta headed by Senior General Min Aung Hlaing to cling onto power.
    Kim Aris, Time, 7 Nov. 2025
  • Rafael is a crime and breaking news reporter at the Arkansas Democrat Gazette.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 6 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • Rattenfänger is also planning a brutal cyberattack that will affect all of the Western world — leading Bond to team up with the remaining double agents and a handful of allies to stop the evil at hand.
    Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 10 Nov. 2025
  • The trio make their first trip from Shanghai to San Francisco, coming face to face with colorful monsters and spirits of both good and evil from Chinese folklore.
    Mekishana Pierre, Entertainment Weekly, 6 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • There is no place for intimidation or ego tripping disguised as ‘leadership,’ or for using titles and stages to instill fear and shame instead of empower.
    Becca Longmire, PEOPLE, 6 Nov. 2025
  • There is no place for intimidation or ego tripping disguised as 'leadership' or for using titles and stages to instill fear and shame instead of empower.
    Edward Segarra, USA Today, 6 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • The problem with that is that good teams — the winning franchises — build their teams inside-out by fortifying the offensive and defensive lines, which just happen to be the areas of weakness this season.
    Omar Kelly November 7, Miami Herald, 7 Nov. 2025
  • Exports weren’t the only area that saw surprise weakness.
    Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 7 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • More than two years after the fatal shooting, Lorincz maintained her side of the story that the kids had trespassed on her property and threatened her life.
    Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 23 Oct. 2025
  • On Monday, authorities received reports of a shirtless man trespassing at a residence in Bedias – located about 150 miles south of Alvarado – the previous day, the Grimes County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.
    Julia Bonavita, FOXNews.com, 23 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • The most common template for an insider trading violation is as follows.
    Samidh Guha, ABC News, 9 Nov. 2025
  • In Chicago, the indelible image of a pastor in a clerical collar shot in the head with a pepper ball by agents standing on the rooftop of an ICE building is a direct violation of CBP’s use of force policy.
    Andy Rose 19 hr ago, CNN Money, 9 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • While working together on The Unit, David Mamet once told you that good drama isn’t a choice between good and bad; good drama is the choice between two bads.
    Max Gao, The Hollywood Reporter, 24 Jan. 2025
  • Reports out of fall camp haven’t been super favorable to their offense, and while the defense will, again, be top-notch, a team with this bad of an offense cannot be trusted.
    Austin Mock, The Athletic, 19 Aug. 2024
Noun
  • India became Sri Lanka’s de facto lender of last resort without requiring the Sri Lankan government to address concerns about the human rights abuses, militarization, or corruption that fueled the country’s political crisis.
    MUHIB RAHMAN, Foreign Affairs, 12 Nov. 2025
  • But turnout has been persistently low, months of horse-trading to form a government are likely to follow, and voters are weary of high levels of corruption.
    Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 11 Nov. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Sin.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sin. Accessed 15 Nov. 2025.

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