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
- sinfully adverb
- sinfulness noun
- unsinful adjective
- unsinfully adverb
- unsinfulness noun
Etymology
Origin of sinful
First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English synfull. See sin 1, -ful
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.
The Southern Baptist Convention passed resolutions through the ’80s, ’90s, and 2000s that declared gambling sinful and urged the government to reject its normalization.
From Slate • Sep. 5, 2025
But when I left I tried to explain to him how I was feeling and my belief that my emotions weren't sinful.
From Salon • May 1, 2024
“If you want God to forgive you for all your sins — and we are sinful … then you have to forgive others. That’s love one another and love thy enemy.”
From Washington Times • Oct. 4, 2023
“My father wanted us to cooperate with the show, therefore deceiving Scott could be seen as an act of sinful rebellion against my father.”
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 12, 2023
Not bad for aYank from the sinful shores of Amerikay.
From "Angela's Ashes: A Memoir" by Frank McCourt
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.
