deadly sin

noun

: one of seven sins of pride, covetousness, lust, anger, gluttony, envy, and sloth held to be fatal to spiritual progress

Examples of deadly sin in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web In the medieval period, prescriptive literature warned women of the dangers of anger—one of the seven deadly sins. Pragya Agarwal, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 Mar. 2024 Unfortunately, the serial killer known as Jon Doe is ritualistically slaying victims by turning the seven deadly sins into symbolic, atrocious murders. EW.com, 16 Oct. 2023 The murders in the film represent the seven deadly sins as defined by Christianity: gluttony, greed, sloth, lust, pride, envy, and wrath. Derek Scancarelli, EW.com, 18 Dec. 2023 Each cone represents one of the seven deadly sins: lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy, and pride. Fabiola Sánchez, The Christian Science Monitor, 23 Dec. 2023 Business thrives, especially during Christmas, featuring unique seven-cone spheres symbolizing the seven deadly sins. Fabiola Sánchez, The Christian Science Monitor, 23 Dec. 2023 Angels oversee the shepherds on their journey to protect them from the devil’s influence and the seven deadly sins. Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Nov. 2023 Amongst the revelers were a group of seven deadly sins and a couple of Queen of Hearts. Vogue, 28 Oct. 2023 Previous tours have included a riff on the seven deadly sins. Lawrence Specker | Lspecker@al.com, al, 14 Aug. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'deadly sin.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of deadly sin was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near deadly sin

Cite this Entry

“Deadly sin.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/deadly%20sin. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

deadly sin

noun
: one of seven sins of pride, covetousness, lust, anger, gluttony, envy, and sloth considered in Christianity to be very serious and believed to cause other sins

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