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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
But there’s only so long a team can commit these sins before judgment comes. J.j. Bailey, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025 And then their sins are forgiven. Khaleda Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Oct. 2025
Verb
Páramo is a perfect hypocrite, sinning freely and then heading to the confession booth to take advantage of his faith’s unlimited forgiveness policy. Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 7 Sep. 2024 This is a man who has probably sinned more times and in more areas of life than any human not currently imprisoned. Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 17 July 2024 See All Example Sentences for sin
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sin
Noun
  • But this is no case study in the evils of devil-worshipping musicians.
    Judy Berman, Time, 29 Sep. 2025
  • On this Sunday, a day meant for worship and peace, such violence is a grave evil.
    Hollie Silverman, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Until very recently, people who have been pregnant or given birth kept the experience to themselves; a sense of secrecy or even shame pervaded the realities of welcoming a child.
    Elisabeth Sherman, Parents, 2 Oct. 2025
  • The remorse, the sorrow, the regret, the disappointment, the shame.
    Lauren del Valle, CNN Money, 2 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Though the Red Sox did shoot themselves in the foot with base-running, fielding and bunting failures in Game 2, thus costing them their shot at reaching the ALDS, Game 3 was a bit more representative of the Red Sox and their weaknesses.
    Michael Hurley, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Oct. 2025
  • However, other small business indicators show weakness.
    Jeff Cox, CNBC, 3 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • During the 2022 incident, an unknown person motioned toward Newton to arrest Mitchell for trespassing.
    Caroline Zimmerman, Kansas City Star, 30 Sep. 2025
  • Denver7 reported that authorities had received three reports of a suspicious person trespassing on private properties along State Highway 103 this week, including two properties on Peaceful Valley Lane in Idaho Springs on Monday.
    John Aguilar, Denver Post, 26 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Tennessee law holds that those who committed crimes before 1999 can choose between being put to death by lethal injection or the electric chair.
    Evan Mealins, Nashville Tennessean, 3 Oct. 2025
  • The office's programming extends to other areas as well, including domestic violence, human trafficking and interacting with victims of crimes.
    David Clarey, jsonline.com, 3 Oct. 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
  • In 2019, the 37-year-old Bukele ran for president as a populist outsider promising to defeat crime and corruption in a nation with one of the world’s worst homicide rates and a history of former presidents being charged with crimes.
    T. Christian Miller, ProPublica, 30 Sep. 2025
  • Milei has had more success taming Argentina’s hyperinflation than first expected, but has been dealing with a brewing currency crisis and several corruption scandals.
    Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 30 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Some earlier African intellectuals looked at Black America with pity, even disdain.
    Kelefa Sanneh, New Yorker, 6 Oct. 2025
  • Weeping savors a virtue — compassion, tenderness, pity, love.
    Big Think, Big Think, 23 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Sin.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sin. Accessed 7 Oct. 2025.

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