deadly sins
Americanplural noun
plural noun
Usage
What are the seven deadly sins? Originating in Christian theology, the seven deadly sins are pride, envy, gluttony, greed, lust, sloth, and wrath. Pride is sometimes referred to as vanity or vainglory, greed as avarice or covetousness, and wrath as anger. Gluttony covers self-indulgent excess more generally, including drunkenness.
Etymology
Origin of deadly sins
1300–50; Middle English deedly synnes
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.
Wealth has a way of sorting relationships when one friend's opulence brings out lustful envy in the others, the deadly sins most likely to drive daggers into the gut of any platonic bond.
From Salon • Mar. 10, 2025
Gluttony is one of Christianity’s seven deadly sins.
From BBC • Oct. 18, 2024
Each cone represents one of the seven deadly sins: lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy and pride.
From Seattle Times • Dec. 22, 2023
Seven is also a holy figure: it’s the number of sacraments and deadly sins.
From National Geographic • Jul. 26, 2023
I ran the last twenty yards or so, even though running in the halls is one of the deadly sins at Camillo Junior High, right up there with pride, envy, wrath.
From "The Wednesday Wars" by Gary D. Schmidt
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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.