sinful
Americanadjective
adjective
-
having committed or tending to commit sin
a sinful person
-
characterized by or being a sin
a sinful act
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of sinful
First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English synfull. See sin 1, -ful
Explanation
Bad or wicked things can be described as sinful. You might object to a greedy businessman's sinful mistreatment of his employees , for example. Immoral or ungodly acts are considered to be sinful by some religious believers—so when a sin is committed (like telling a lie or killing someone), the behavior is described as sinful. You can also use this adjective to talk about evil acts, even if you're not sure they officially qualify as sins, or even to mean "excessive." An extravagant dessert, for example, might be called "sinful triple chocolate cake."
Vocabulary lists containing sinful
Way Off: Synonyms for "Wrong"
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American Street
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Evil
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Her new book, “Googoosh: A Sinful Voice,” was not a choice, she writes, but a “necessary duty.”
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 2, 2025
The seven-part series published by the Tribune-Herald, "The Sinful Messiah," was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in 1994 and was lauded for its efforts as a "high-water mark for investigative reporting."
From Salon • Apr. 6, 2023
"Sinful, positively sinful," read an article in the food section of a 1998 issue of Lawrence Journal-World.
From Salon • Feb. 13, 2023
As part of Danspace Project’s Community Access program, this performance collective, with roots in the Indian classical dance form Kathak, presents the premiere of “We Sinful Women,” a look at the universal repression of women.
From New York Times • Feb. 23, 2017
One of Gertrude’s favorite books was The Mirror of the Sinful Soul’ which, she told us, was written by Margaret, the queen of Navarre in France.
From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
