sin
- 01 B1 Intermediate
n.an action that breaks a religious law or is considered very morally wrong.
n.an offence against divine law or a violation of a moral principle.
Simple“In many religions, lying is considered a serious sin.”
In context“The theologian argued that the nature of sin lies not just in the action itself, but in the conscious intent to defy moral authority.”
SynonymsAntonyms - 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.a bad mistake or something that is a great pity.
n.a regrettable action or a serious shortcoming in judgment or behavior.
Simple“It is a sin to waste all that delicious food when people are hungry.”
In context“The critic remarked that it was a sin to hide such a talented musician in a mediocre backing band.”
- 03 C1 Advanced
n.a short name for the 'sin bin', where players must sit after breaking a rule.
n.a colloquial shortening of 'sin bin', referring to the penalty box where players are temporarily sidelined.
Simple“The captain spent ten minutes in the sin for a dangerous tackle.”
In context“After a series of technical fouls, the referee sent the scrum-half to the sin to cool off for the remainder of the half.”
Synonyms - 04 B2 Upper Intermediate
v.to do something that is against religious or moral laws.
v.to commit an offence against a religious or moral code; used intransitively.
Simple“He felt that he had sinned by not helping his friend in need.”
In context“The protagonist spends the final chapters of the novel attempting to atone for having sinned against his family's trust.”
UsageThis verb is intransitive and does not take a direct object.
“Is she guilty of some obvious sin which is being punished?”
Transliteration of Akkadian 𒀭𒂗𒍪 (Sîn).
From Cantonese 單 /单 (sin6) or 冼 (sin2).
From Hebrew סִין.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.