1
as in crimes
a breaking of a moral or legal code
a child old enough to know that lying is a sin
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in evils
that which is morally unacceptable
a minister who worries that modern society has abandoned the concept of sin
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
4
as in weaknesses
a defect in character
my besetting sin is impatience—I hate to wait for anything
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in trespasses
to commit an offense
bless me, Father, for I have sinned
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 sins
Literary Hub, 27 Jan. 2026
Whatever your preconceived notions about Feldman are, Hume’s film will expand and challenge them; the movie’s greatness lies in its ability to capture all of Feldman’s contradictions and self-destructiveness, empathizing with him without soft-pedaling his sins.
—Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 23 Jan. 2026
The sins of the father are cheerfully sloughed off on the son.
—Elizabeth Nelson, Pitchfork, 22 Jan. 2026
These are the words of someone determined not to repeat their father’s sins, someone who wants to be a little different than what a lot of the world might expect of a player with his unique brand of raw power and athleticism.
—Charlie Eccleshare, New York Times, 13 Jan. 2026
Yet what elevates the show is its focus on gender relations and atoning for the sins of the past, adding layers of depth beyond its lurid plotting and somewhat ridiculousness.
—James Mercadante, Entertainment Weekly, 4 Jan. 2026
Ann believes her sins led to their untimely demise.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 26 Dec. 2025
Navarro presented these sins—including currency manipulation, intellectual-property theft, and environmental degradation—as significant drivers of China’s extraordinary economic transformation.
—Ian Parker, New Yorker, 22 Dec. 2025
He’s gone beyond that, becoming a version of Brando who didn’t just recognize his own sins but tried to atone for them through the work.
—Matt Zoller Seitz, Vulture, 11 Dec. 2025
Philip Elliott, Time, 1 Dec. 2025
Noun
Which draws the attention of another ghost, a French man with a stack of papers documenting the man’s sins.
—Literary Hub, 27 Jan. 2026
Whatever your preconceived notions about Feldman are, Hume’s film will expand and challenge them; the movie’s greatness lies in its ability to capture all of Feldman’s contradictions and self-destructiveness, empathizing with him without soft-pedaling his sins.
—Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 23 Jan. 2026
The sins of the father are cheerfully sloughed off on the son.
—Elizabeth Nelson, Pitchfork, 22 Jan. 2026
These are the words of someone determined not to repeat their father’s sins, someone who wants to be a little different than what a lot of the world might expect of a player with his unique brand of raw power and athleticism.
—Charlie Eccleshare, New York Times, 13 Jan. 2026
Yet what elevates the show is its focus on gender relations and atoning for the sins of the past, adding layers of depth beyond its lurid plotting and somewhat ridiculousness.
—James Mercadante, Entertainment Weekly, 4 Jan. 2026
Ann believes her sins led to their untimely demise.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 26 Dec. 2025
Navarro presented these sins—including currency manipulation, intellectual-property theft, and environmental degradation—as significant drivers of China’s extraordinary economic transformation.
—Ian Parker, New Yorker, 22 Dec. 2025
He’s gone beyond that, becoming a version of Brando who didn’t just recognize his own sins but tried to atone for them through the work.
—Matt Zoller Seitz, Vulture, 11 Dec. 2025
Verb
John DeWitt, the four-star general who oversaw the internment program, in particular, seems to be a forerunner to some of America's worst errors, paranoia, sins.
—Philip Elliott, Time, 1 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sins
Noun
-
Denmark plans tougher deportation laws COPENHAGEN, Denmark -- Denmark unveiled a legal reform on Friday allowing foreigners who have been sentenced to at least one year of unconditional imprisonment for serious crimes to be deported.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
31 Jan. 2026
-
Prosecutors alleged the other crimes of violence were represented by two stalking charges, arguing Mangione stalked Thompson online and travelled across state lines to carry out the killing.—
Kara Scannell,
CNN Money,
30 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Voters in primary elections may nominate extremists to run in the general election, leaving independents no choice but to vote for the lesser of two evils or to abstain from voting for either.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Jan. 2026
-
Nick, first buy a dictionary and then take a few courses in logic and the evils of bigotry.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
26 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Together, the cases highlight weaknesses in an industry that has long struggled to balance nutritional innovation with safety.—
Jillian Deutsch,
Bloomberg,
28 Jan. 2026
-
The task force included representatives from local police and fire departments and focused on identifying weaknesses in fireworks licensing, regulation and enforcement.—
Daniel Lempres,
Sacbee.com,
28 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Delcy Rodríguez said Friday that the amnesty would apply to cases from 1999 to the present, but would exclude those prosecuted for homicide, drug trafficking, corruption and human rights violations.—
Anabella González,
CNN Money,
31 Jan. 2026
-
Prosecutors have accused them of civil rights violations for disrupting the Cities Church service.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
31 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Righting a couple of wrongs that everybody was talking about.—
D. Orlando Ledbetter,
AJC.com,
8 Jan. 2026
-
Was this award created, to some degree, to right Emmy wrongs?—
Scott Feinberg,
HollywoodReporter,
8 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Wind turbines are particularly vulnerable to fire caused by lightning strikes or electrical faults.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
13 Jan. 2026
-
For Southern California, that means clearer insight into how faults behave between earthquakes.—
Marina Jurica,
CBS News,
11 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The cold air is then expected to stay in place through the beginning of February, ensuring that whatever snow falls this weekend will stay on the ground for a while.—
Matthew Villafane,
CBS News,
25 Jan. 2026
-
Only one other player has been ever elected by the writers with 1,500 or fewer hits — Roy Campanella (1,422) in 1969 — and that total falls far short of the average career hit mark for all Hall of Fame batters, which is 2,330.—
Mac Cerullo,
Boston Herald,
25 Jan. 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
Cite this Entry
“Sins.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sins. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
