sin

1. noun

1)

a sin in the eyes of God

Syn:

immoral act, wrong, wrongdoing, act of evil/wickedness, transgression, crime, offense, misdeed, misdemeanor; archaic trespass

2)

the human capacity for sin

Syn:

wickedness, wrongdoing, wrong, evil, evildoing, sinfulness, immorality, iniquity, vice, crime

Ant:

virtue

3) informal

they've cut the school music program — it's a sin

Syn:

scandal, crime, disgrace, outrage

2. verb

I have sinned

Syn:

commit a sin, commit an offense, transgress, do wrong, commit a crime, break the law, misbehave, go astray; archaic trespass

••

sin, crime, fault, indiscretion, offense, transgression, vice

If you've ever driven through a red light or chewed with your mouth open, you've committed an offense, which is a broad term covering any violation of the law or of standards of propriety and taste. A sin, on the other hand, is an act that specifically violates a religious, ethical, or moral standard (to marry someone of another faith was considered a sin). Transgression is a weightier and more serious word for sin, suggesting any violation of an agreed-upon set of rules (their behavior was clearly a transgression of the terms set forth in the treaty). A crime is any act forbidden by law and punishable upon conviction (a crime for which he was sentenced to death). A vice has less to do with violating the law and more to do with habits and practices that debase a person's character (alcohol was her only vice). Fault and indiscretion are gentler words, although they may be used as euphemisms for sin or crime. A fault is an unsatisfactory feature in someone's character (she is exuberant to a fault), while indiscretion refers to an unwise or improper action (speaking to the media was an indiscretion for which she was chastised). In recent years, however, indiscretion has become a euphemism for such sins as adultery, as if to excuse such behavior by attributing it to a momentary lapse of judgment (his indiscretions were no secret).