1
as in crime
a breaking of a moral or legal code
a child old enough to know that lying is a sin
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in evil
that which is morally unacceptable
a minister who worries that modern society has abandoned the concept of sin
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in sinfulness
immoral conduct or practices harmful or offensive to society
a sordid section of the city that is mainly known for sin and degradation
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4
5
as in weakness
a defect in character
my besetting sin is impatience—I hate to wait for anything
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of sin
Keith Cooper, Space.com, 11 May 2026
And, as a heterosexual couple, wasn’t living in sin our final, sole, tiny act of rebellion?
—Eva Wiseman, Vogue, 7 May 2026
Philip Elliott, Time, 1 Dec. 2025
During the week, Barton often painted an image of himself as more sinned against than sinning.
—Greg O'Keeffe, New York Times, 9 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sin
Noun
Along the way, the poets encounter the likes of Cleopatra and the various antagonists of the Trojan War — Achilles, Helen of Troy and Paris — in the second circle where those who fell under the sin of lust end up.
—Keith Cooper, Space.com, 11 May 2026
And, as a heterosexual couple, wasn’t living in sin our final, sole, tiny act of rebellion?
—Eva Wiseman, Vogue, 7 May 2026
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
During the week, Barton often painted an image of himself as more sinned against than sinning.
—Greg O'Keeffe, New York Times, 9 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sin
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sin
Noun
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Violent crime dropped by nearly half from his first year as mayor to his last, according to LAPD and FBI-era data, and city leaders frequently touted LA’s turnaround compared with the 1990s.—
James Ward,
USA Today,
15 May 2026
-
Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage?—
Bethany Brown,
PEOPLE,
14 May 2026
Noun
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Why something with the punch of classical tragedy — love destroyed from within by an inexplicable streak of evil — had to be so over-egged is baffling.—
Stephanie Bunbury,
Deadline,
15 May 2026
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East of Eden also features Cathy — 2026’s second evil-ish Cathy — who is played by Florence Pugh in the miniseries and has some of the novel’s best scenes and lines.—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
15 May 2026
Noun
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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
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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
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Bryna Laub, editor of Daytime Serial Newsletter, felt the show besmirched the sanctity of soaps and contributed to the broader currents of shame surrounding the genre.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 May 2026
-
There’s no shame in the aging game, though.—
Madeleine Marr,
Miami Herald,
18 May 2026
Noun
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Rippling was also built with a stronger emphasis on operational infrastructure and compliance, according to Conrad, who has said that one of the weaknesses at Zenefits was that a lot was done manually behind the scenes.—
Ellen Sheng,
CNBC,
19 May 2026
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Brunson’s defense and the lack of rim protection from Towns remain weaknesses, but nobody has come close to exploiting them so far.—
Tony Jones,
New York Times,
18 May 2026
Verb
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Walking on private ground without permission is clearly trespassing in Montana.—
Natalie Krebs,
Outdoor Life,
14 May 2026
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Washington explained what happened the night a man trespassed onto airport property, and then was hit and killed by an airplane in the process of takeoff.—
Chierstin Roth,
CBS News,
13 May 2026
Noun
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Kapoor, who had moved from Atlanta to Miami to attend college, faces 10 years or more in prison on the money-laundering and payroll-tax violations.—
Jay Weaver,
Miami Herald,
14 May 2026
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In 2020, longtime TCC instructor and program director Jeff McDonald sued the college for breach of contract, constitutional violations and deprivation of property interests without due process.—
Matthew Adams,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 May 2026
Noun
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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
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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
“Sin.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sin. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
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