sinful

sinful — adjective

1. describing an action, thought, or way of living that breaks religious rules or a

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

describing an action, thought, or way of living that breaks religious rules or accepted moral standards about right and wrong.

Example

Hoa's grandmother taught her that telling a lie was a deeply sinful act.

collocation: deeply sinful

The priest warned the congregation about the sinful nature of greed and envy.

pattern: the sinful nature of [something]

Common collocations
  • sinful act
  • sinful behaviour
  • sinful thoughts
  • sinful nature
  • sinful pride
  • deeply sinful
Synonyms
  • wicked

    stronger and more judgmental; suggests deliberate evil rather than a lapse in moral standards

  • immoral

    broader and more secular; does not necessarily invoke religion

  • evil

    much stronger; implies fundamental malevolence or causing serious harm

Antonyms
  • virtuous

    having high moral standards; the opposite of sinful behaviour

  • righteous

    morally right or justifiable, especially in a religious sense

Grammar Patterns

be sinful

a sinful + noun

Usage Note

Often found in religious or moral discussion; can be modified by degree adverbs such as deeply, truly, or utterly.

Common Mistakes

She felt sinful for eating the cake.
She felt sinful for lying to her parents.
When referring to pleasure (especially food), sense 2 (INDULGENT) is more natural; sense 1 (IMMORAL) implies a moral or religious transgression.

2. describing something — especially a rich food, drink, or luxurious experience —

2.adjectiveB2
Definition

describing something — especially a rich food, drink, or luxurious experience — that gives great pleasure but is likely to harm your health, damage your diet, or make you feel guilty afterward.

Example

Maeve ordered a sinful slice of triple-chocolate cake with extra cream.

attributive: sinful + dessert noun

The hotel breakfast buffet offered sinful pastries filled with custard and nuts.

Common collocations
  • sinful dessert
  • sinful chocolate cake
  • sinful pasta
  • sinful pleasure
  • truly sinful
  • utterly sinful
Synonyms
  • decadent

    very close in meaning; emphasises richness and luxury more than guilt

  • indulgent

    highlights self-gratification without the religious overtones

  • naughty

    lighter, more playful tone; often used for a small treat rather than a full meal

Antonyms
  • healthy

    good for your body; the opposite of a sinful indulgence

  • light

    low in calories or fat; contrasts with rich, heavy sinful foods

Grammar Patterns

a sinful + food/drink noun

Usage Note

This sense is almost always used in a playful or self-deprecating tone, not a serious moral judgment. The most common collocates are food nouns (cake, dessert, pasta, chocolate, brunch).

Common Mistakes

He committed a sinful crime.
He ordered a sinful dessert.
Sense 2 only works with pleasurable things (food, drink, treats, experiences); use sense 1 for actual wrongdoing.

Word family

  • sin
    nounB1
  • sinner
    nounB2
  • sinfully
    adverbC1
  • sinless
    adjectiveC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All four words describe something morally wrong, but they differ in strength and scope. Sinful specifically invokes religious transgression or a guilty conscience; it can be lighter than the alternatives when used figuratively. Wicked implies active malice or a deliberately bad nature — it carries a stronger sense of moral outrage than sinful. Immoral is broader and more secular; it refers to behaviour that violates accepted ethical standards without necessarily involving religion. Evil suggests fundamental malevolence or the intention to cause serious harm; it is the strongest of the four and rarely used playfully. Ungodly is the most explicitly religious, implying disrespect toward God or holy things. For example, a child stealing a cookie is sinful (in a light, religious sense) but not wicked or evil; a dictator's cruelty is evil, not merely sinful.

wicked ↗immoralevil ↗ungodly

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Etymology

Proto-GermanicOld EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

Sinful comes from Old English synn (meaning 'moral offense, wrongdoing against God or religious law') combined with the suffix -ful ('full of'). The Old English synn traces back to Proto-Germanic *sundī, which is related to the idea of 'being true' or 'being the one' — a notion that evolved from legal contexts into religious ones. The word has been used in English since before the 12th century, originally with a stronger religious emphasis that later broadened to cover general moral disapproval.