sinful

adjective

ˈsin-fəl How to pronounce sinful (audio)
Definition of sinfulnext
as in immoral
not conforming to a high moral standard; morally unacceptable chastised by his minister for his sinful behavior

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 sinful Efficiency is religion, and turnovers are almost sinful. — Joel Lorenzi, New York Times, 6 May 2026 Christian moralists thundered against the sinful pleasures of watching naked female flesh at the Spectacles. — Literary Hub, 15 Apr. 2026 His father, who believes Sammie's music to be sinful, orders him to drop the guitar, but Sammie can't do it. — Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 12 Mar. 2026 The least sinful states in 2026 Wyoming was ranked the least sinful state in 2026, followed by New Hampshire, Idaho, Vermont, Maine, Minnesota, Utah, Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota. — Alexis Simmerman, Austin American Statesman, 25 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for sinful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sinful
  1. immoral
  2. evil
  3. unlawful
  4. wicked
  5. vile
  6. vicious
  7. bad
  8. dark
Adjective
  • He was branded a heretic, in part for preaching that the nobility were immoral and so was nobility itself.
    — Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Heilbrun was speaking to his evaluation of Clancy’s case and her understanding of what is immoral.
    — NBC News, NBC news, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of immoral
Adjective
  • As someone who isn’t a character person, the centerpiece for me is Villains Grove, which takes over the Redwood Creek Challenge Trail with projections and effects that nod to various evil characters.
    — Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Like Slaughterhouse–Five, Mother Night explores the shadowy line separating good and evil during wartime.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of evil
Adjective
  • Spires is also charged with felony unlawful possession of a firearm by a dangerous person and three misdemeanors, while Wilson is also charged with two misdemeanors, filings show.
    — Meredith Colias-Pete, Chicago Tribune, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Put more bluntly, sports event contracts are protected by federal law in some parts of the country but remain vulnerable elsewhere to states deeming them unlawful.
    — Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of unlawful
Adjective
  • Kiss off the haters with a pretty wicked portrait from our Free Photobooth.
    — Beatrice Verhoeven, HollywoodReporter, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Along with other large parts of Northwest Indiana, East Chicago was hit with power outages following a wicked storm that blasted through the area a week ago Tuesday.
    — Lauren Victory, CBS News, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of wicked
Adjective
  • Disgusted that any adult would ever consider exploiting a child in such a vile and predatory way.
    — Bryan Lynn, CBS News, 6 Aug. 2026
  • His tenure came to an end when video surfaced of a drunken Galliano berating other customers at a Paris bar with vile antisemitic insults.
    — Greg Evans, Deadline, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of vile
Adjective
  • Your husband merely identified the obvious, most vicious enemy of the people in straightforward terms.
    — Andy Andersen, Vulture, 30 Aug. 2026
  • Democrats have little trouble understanding that the right-wing infighting over Carlson is about whether the Republican tent, which already includes racists, nativists, and vicious Islamophobes, is also big enough to include anti-Semites.
    — Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of vicious
Adjective
  • The accident was one of the Portuguese capital’s worst tragedies in recent memory and cast a shadow over the city’s ongoing tourism boom.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 3 Sep. 2026
  • The must-read Falling during a hike can lead to a serious injury, or even worse.
    — Jaclyn Cosgrove, Los Angeles Times, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of bad
Adjective
  • On top of the moving-camera-foamy-dark-mouth challenge, there was the plaque challenge.
    — Jenny Bailly, Allure, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Finley’s breakout was the 2017 dark comedy Thoroughbreds, in which Olivia Cooke and Anya Taylor-Joy play high-schoolers conspiring to kill an abusive stepfather.
    — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of dark

Browse Nearby Words

sinfoniettas
sinful
sinfully
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Sinful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sinful. Accessed 4 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of apiary

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 4
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
anagrams on a chalk board
Word Builder Quiz Vol. 2 Pick the letter that when added to a word will ma...
See All