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Definition of sinnext
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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
Easter is the Christian celebration of Jesus Christ's victory over sin and death through his resurrection. Marina Johnson, Louisville Courier Journal, 22 Feb. 2026 Once chewed up by the machine of expectation and found guilty of the eternal athletic sin of having too much talent too soon, Liu has since learned how to spit back rather than be spit out. Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 20 Feb. 2026
Verb
Many societies in the past have linked swearing to blasphemy or sin. Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025 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 See All Example Sentences for sin
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sin
Noun
  • Last month, her government unveiled a legal reform allowing the deportation of foreigners who have been sentenced to at least one year of unconditional imprisonment for serious crimes.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 27 Feb. 2026
  • Sometimes a provider’s NPI is used without their knowledge or consent, a crime known as NPI theft that is commonly committed to facilitate Medicaid fraud.
    Mia Cathell, The Washington Examiner, 27 Feb. 2026
Noun
  • Is there a lesser of two evils?
    Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 27 Feb. 2026
  • His only way of finding any kind of life for himself is to embrace evil, to stop running away from it, to try to stop morally flagellating himself.
    Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 25 Feb. 2026
Noun
  • Denver author Josiah Hesse was raised by Evangelical parents in churches that believe in the torments of hell, that their poverty is due to their sinfulness and lack of faith.
    Sandra Dallas, Denver Post, 1 Feb. 2026
  • This lawless crew shares dramaturgical DNA with the vice figures from medieval morality plays, personifications of sinfulness who would confide their schemes to the audience and make theatergoers their co-conspirators in a riveting game that obviously left its mark on a young Shakespeare.
    Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 17 Jan. 2026
Noun
  • There’s no shame in belt tightening, which is long overdue in Miami.
    Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 23 Feb. 2026
  • This was a fugitive sensibility with a shroud of shame around it.
    E. Alex Jung, Vulture, 23 Feb. 2026
Noun
  • Trump claimed sweeping victories on crime and border security despite political weakness and record-low approval ratings.
    Kevin Rector, Los Angeles Times, 25 Feb. 2026
  • Advertisement On social media, people describe suffering from a range of side effects after experimenting with unapproved peptides, including migraines, weakness, depression, nausea and vomiting, and anhedonia, a condition in which people stop being able to experience joy or pleasure.
    Dominique Mosbergen, Time, 24 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • With a 45% increase in unsheltered homelessness in the state, lawmakers are proposing legislation to prohibit municipalities from using general laws like trespassing against unhoused people who are simply resting or storing their belongings on public land.
    Livi Stanford, Hartford Courant, 27 Feb. 2026
  • The people who trespassed at the Capitol, and committed disorderly behavior, enabled the mob violence.
    Scott MacFarlane, CBS News, 19 Feb. 2026
Noun
  • State media quoted Kim saying that any violation of the country’s sovereignty would trigger immediate retaliatory strikes.
    Will Ripley, CNN Money, 26 Feb. 2026
  • ByteDance has faced backlash from major Hollywood studios, including Disney and Paramount, for intellectual property violations surrounding its AI video-making tool Seedance.
    Lola Murti, CNBC, 26 Feb. 2026
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

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Cite this Entry

“Sin.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sin. Accessed 2 Mar. 2026.

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