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"
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
American Street
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Evil
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
Whether sinful passions or unconscious destructive urges, distracting attachments or visceral impulses, desire is the daemon that makes us act, often against our own interests and those of others.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 8, 2026
Behavioural science can also impact your choice on more sinful things too.
From BBC • Jan. 28, 2026
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
Nevertheless, some of his more proximate misdeeds are effectively used to make clear that Mantel's antihero is, in the denouement of his life, fully alert to his sinful state.
From Salon • Mar. 23, 2025
Four treasure chests he’d been ignoring because somewhere in the back of his mind he thought taking things without permission was sinful.
From "The Dead and the Gone" by Susan Beth Pfeffer
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.
