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deadly sin
noun
: one of seven sins of pride, covetousness, lust, anger, gluttony, envy, and sloth held to be fatal to spiritual progress
Examples of deadly sin in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Catholic teaching lists it among the seven deadly sins.
—Dan Rodricks, Baltimore Sun, 5 Apr. 2024
On the surface, the story of Red Lobster’s bankruptcy is about one of the seven deadly sins: gluttony.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 21 May 2024
Not to mention comparing Pride month to a 'deadly sin' and lobbing bombs at the trans community.
—Natasha Dye, Peoplemag, 16 May 2024
In the medieval period, prescriptive literature warned women of the dangers of anger—one of the seven deadly sins.
—Pragya Agarwal, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 Mar. 2024
Unfortunately, the serial killer known as Jon Doe is ritualistically slaying victims by turning the seven deadly sins into symbolic, atrocious murders.
—EW.com, 16 Oct. 2023
The murders in the film represent the seven deadly sins as defined by Christianity: gluttony, greed, sloth, lust, pride, envy, and wrath.
—Derek Scancarelli, EW.com, 18 Dec. 2023
Each cone represents one of the seven deadly sins: lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy, and pride.
—Fabiola Sánchez, The Christian Science Monitor, 23 Dec. 2023
Business thrives, especially during Christmas, featuring unique seven-cone spheres symbolizing the seven deadly sins.
—Fabiola Sánchez, The Christian Science Monitor, 23 Dec. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'deadly sin.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
13th century, in the meaning defined above
Time Traveler
The first known use of deadly sin was
in the 13th century
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Dictionary Entries Near deadly sin
Cite this Entry
“Deadly sin.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/deadly%20sin. Accessed 13 Jun. 2024.
Kids Definition
deadly sin
noun
: one of seven sins of pride, covetousness, lust, anger, gluttony, envy, and sloth considered in Christianity to be very serious and believed to cause other sins
More from Merriam-Webster on deadly sin
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about deadly sin
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