SIN Synonyms: 185 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

sin 1 of 2

noun

ˈsin

Definition of sin

as in crime

a breaking of a moral or legal code a child old enough to know that lying is a sin

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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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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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as in shame

a regrettable or blameworthy act it's a sin to waste food when people are starving

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as in weakness

a defect in character my besetting sin is impatience—I hate to wait for anything

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sin

2 of 2

verb

as in to trespass

to commit an offense bless me, Father, for I have sinned

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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

The sins of 2003 were not merely in launching a war but also in how the story was told and masked. — Literary Hub, 2 Oct. 2026 East of Eden is a tome obsessed with guilt, sin, ambition, race, the land as healing and capitalism as putrefying, the nature of fate and the question of free will, and the role money and inheritance play in either our corruption or our cleansing. — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 1 Oct. 2026

Verb

Seemingly moved by Seong-sin’s uncharacteristic display of mercy, Eun-jae decides to give Seong-sin her kidney. — Kayti Burt, Time, 13 Feb. 2026 In fact, to pour away the treasured ingredient inside would be close to sin. — Brennan Long, Southern Living, 9 Dec. 2025 See All Example Sentences for sin

Recent Examples of Synonyms for sin

Noun

At that point, Jesse had been dead for a decade, and Frank had been tried for crimes three times—in Missouri, then Alabama, and back to Missouri again.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 Oct. 2026
Police said the vandalism was classified as a property crime rather than a hate offense, and the teen was released to his parents.

— Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of crime

Noun

How much capacity do people really have to choose between goodness and evil?

— Kathryn VanArendonk, Vulture, 6 Oct. 2026
Both Dussehra and Vijayadashami are observed on the 10th day of the Hindu calendar month of Ashvina and are associated with the triumph of good over evil.

— Tamanna Nangia, Encyclopedia Britannica, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of evil

Noun

But soon after, in Genesis 18, God tells Abraham of plans to investigate reports of sinfulness in Sodom and Gomorrah.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 July 2026
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

Definition of sinfulness

Noun

There were flashes of politics and victim blaming, judgment and shame in a case that’s rife with unanswered questions and likely to evolve as more details come to light.

— Lauren Mascarenhas, CNN Money, 30 Sep. 2026
Its main goal is to name and shame businesses with ties to the settlements.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2026

Definition of shame

Noun

On iPhone, Apple says the Passwords app automatically identifies common weaknesses, including passwords that are easy to guess or used multiple times.

— Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 2 Oct. 2026
Slowik, who was part of Miami’s offensive staff last season while working for McDaniel, is aware of what Wright and Gordon bring to the team, their strengths and weaknesses, and intends to cater the offense to those.

— Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of weakness

Verb

Israel wages war on childhood because a Palestinian child at play is already trespassing upon the future Israel has reserved for itself.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2026
The Tohono O’odham Nation said that even if construction were contained to the Roosevelt Reservation, driving onto tribal land to access the area still constitutes trespassing.

— Mikella Schuettler, Los Angeles Times, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of trespass

Noun

Several Japanese nationals, including executives at top Japanese firms, were reportedly detained in August over alleged violations of dual-use goods export restrictions.

— Anniek Bao,Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 5 Oct. 2026
Merz said Germany would take further steps to defend itself, including against Russia’s shadow fleet of tankers in the Baltic and North seas, airspace violations and drone attacks.

— Susie Blann, Chicago Tribune, 4 Oct. 2026

Definition of violation

Noun

In addition to public goods, AI will also create public bads.

— James Broughel, Forbes.com, 8 June 2026
Naturally, the meeting is a flop because no one was prepared, and their spontaneous ideas are frankly fireable-offense bad (a baguette bag shaped like a baguette for Paris?

— Jessica M. Goldstein, Vulture, 18 Dec. 2025

Definition of bad

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“Sin.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sin. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of sin

noun

verb

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What is 'Sin'?

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster on sin

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

inscrutable

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Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

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