Standard Lemma guide

sinner

name · noun · 6 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈsɪnəː/
  • Received-Pronunciation: [ˈsɪnəː]
  • Canadian, General-American, Standard: /ˈsɪnɚ/
  • Canadian, General-American, Standard: [ˈsɪnɚ] ~ [ˈsɪnɹ̩]
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ɪnə(ɹ)
  • homophone: center
  • homophone: centre
  • homophone: sender
  • homophone: cinder (pin–pen merger, nt-flapping)
  • CMU ARPABET: S IH1 N ER0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

name

Meaning 1

A surname.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A person who sins or has sinned.

A person who, by one particular action, has sinned.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: criminal, evildoer, offender

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

A person who sins or has sinned.

An unregenerate person.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Qualifier: doctrinal

Topics: Christianity

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: criminal, evildoer, offender

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

A person with negative qualities; one who does bad things.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: broadly, figuratively

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

A person with negative qualities; one who does bad things.

One who lives a hedonist life; a self-indulgent person.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: broadly, figuratively

Examples

  • Are you a sinner or a saint?

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

noun

Meaning 6

a person who sins (without repenting)

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: evildoer

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: wrongdoer, offender

Narrower terms: magdalen, Mary Magdalene, St. Mary Magdalene, Mary Magdalen, St. Mary Magdalen

History

Etymology

From Middle English synnere, equivalent to sin + -er. Compare Saterland Frisian Säänder (“sinner”), West Frisian sûnder (“sinner”), Dutch zondaar (“sinner”), German Low German Sünder, Sünner (“sinner”), German Sünder (“sinner”), Danish synder (“sinner”), Swedish syndare (“sinner”), Icelandic syndari (“sinner”).

Across languages

Translations

147 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Albanian: mëkatar — person who has sinned
  • Albanian: mëkatare — person who has sinned
  • Arabic: خَاطِئ (ḵāṭiʔ) — person who has sinned
  • Arabic: خَاطِئَة (ḵāṭiʔa) — person who has sinned
  • Arabic: آثِم (ʔāṯim) — person who has sinned
  • Arabic: آثِمَة (ʔāṯima) — person who has sinned
  • Arabic: عَاصٍ (ʕāṣin) — person who has sinned
  • Arabic: عَاصِيَة (ʕāṣiya) — person who has sinned
  • Armenian: մեղավոր (meġavor) — person who has sinned
  • Armenian: մեղանչող (meġančʻoġ) — person who has sinned
  • Azerbaijani: günahkar — person who has sinned
  • Belarusian: грэ́шнік (hréšnik) — person who has sinned
  • Belarusian: грэ́шніца (hréšnica) — person who has sinned
  • Bengali: পাপী (papi) — person who has sinned
  • Bulgarian: гре́шник (gréšnik) — person who has sinned
  • Bulgarian: гре́шница (gréšnica) — person who has sinned
  • Catalan: pecador — person who has sinned
  • Catalan: pecadora — person who has sinned
  • Chinese Cantonese: 罪人 (zeoi6 jan4) — person who has sinned
  • Hakka Chinese: 罪人 (chhui-ngìn) — person who has sinned
  • Chinese: 罪人 (zh-min-nan) — person who has sinned
  • Chinese Mandarin: 罪人 (zuìrén) — person who has sinned
  • Northern Min Chinese: 罪人 (cò-nêng) — person who has sinned
  • Crimean Tatar: günâhkâr — person who has sinned
  • Czech: hříšník — person who has sinned
  • Czech: hříšnice — person who has sinned
  • Dalmatian: pecataur — person who has sinned
  • Dalmatian: pecaudur — person who has sinned
  • Danish: synder — person who has sinned
  • Dutch: zondaar — person who has sinned
  • Dutch: zondares — person who has sinned
  • Esperanto: pekanto — person who has sinned
  • Estonian: patune — person who has sinned
  • Estonian: patustaja — person who has sinned
  • Finnish: syntinen — person who has sinned
  • French: pécheur — person who has sinned
  • French: pécheresse — person who has sinned
  • Old French: pecheor — person who has sinned
  • Friulian: pecjadôr — person who has sinned
  • Galician: pecador — person who has sinned
  • Galician: pecadora — person who has sinned
  • Georgian: ცოდვილი (codvili) — person who has sinned
  • German: Sünder — person who has sinned
  • German: Sünderin — person who has sinned
  • Greek: αμαρτωλός (amartolós) — person who has sinned
  • Ancient Greek: ἁμαρτωλός (hamartōlós) — person who has sinned
  • Greenlandic: ajortilik — person who has sinned
  • Haitian Creole: pechè — person who has sinned
  • Hebrew: חוֹטֵא (khoté) — person who has sinned
  • Hebrew: חוטאת (khotét) — person who has sinned
  • Hindi: पापी (pāpī) — person who has sinned
  • Hindi: विधर्मी (vidharmī) — person who has sinned
  • Hindi: अधर्मी (adharmī) — person who has sinned
  • Hindi: दुराचारी (durācārī) — person who has sinned
  • Hindi: गुनहगार (gunahgār) — person who has sinned
  • Hungarian: bűnös — person who has sinned
  • Hungarian: vétkes — person who has sinned
  • Icelandic: syndari — person who has sinned
  • Irish: peacach — person who has sinned
  • Old Irish: peccad — person who has sinned
  • Italian: peccatore — person who has sinned
  • Italian: peccatrice — person who has sinned
  • Japanese: 罪人 — person who has sinned
  • Kaqchikel: ajmak — person who has sinned
  • Kazakh: күнәһар (künähar) — person who has sinned
  • Khmer: អ្នកបាប (nĕək baap) — person who has sinned
  • Khmer: កំបាប (kɑmbaap) — person who has sinned
  • Korean: 죄인 (joein) — person who has sinned
  • Northern Kurdish: gunehkar — person who has sinned
  • Kyrgyz: күнөөкөр (künöökör) — person who has sinned
  • Lao: ຄົນບາບ (khon bāp) — person who has sinned
  • Latin: peccātor — person who has sinned
  • Latin: peccāns — person who has sinned
  • Latin: peccātrīx — person who has sinned
  • Latvian: grēcinieks — person who has sinned
  • Latvian: grēciniece — person who has sinned
  • Lezgi: гунагькар (gunahkar) — person who has sinned
  • Lithuanian: nusidėjėlis — person who has sinned
  • Lithuanian: nusidėjėlė — person who has sinned
  • Macedonian: грешник (grešnik) — person who has sinned
  • Macedonian: грешница (grešnica) — person who has sinned
  • Malay: orang berdosa — person who has sinned
  • Manx: peccah — person who has sinned
  • Māori: kaihara — person who has sinned
  • Marathi: पापी (pāpī) — person who has sinned
  • Marathi: पापकर्मी (pāpkarmī) — person who has sinned
  • Mongolian: нүгэлтэн (nügelten) — person who has sinned
  • Norwegian Bokmål: synder — person who has sinned
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: syndar — person who has sinned
  • Occitan: pecador — person who has sinned
  • Occitan: pecaire — person who has sinned
  • Old Occitan: peccador — person who has sinned
  • Old English: synful — person who has sinned
  • Pashto: ګنهګار (gwǝnahgār) — person who has sinned
  • Pashto: پاپي (pāpi) — person who has sinned
  • Pashto: عاصي ('āsi) — person who has sinned
  • Iranian Persian: گُناهْکار (gonâhkâr) — person who has sinned
  • Iranian Persian: عاصی (âsi) — person who has sinned
  • Polish: grzesznik — person who has sinned
  • Polish: grzesznica — person who has sinned
  • Portuguese: pecador — person who has sinned
  • Portuguese: pecadora — person who has sinned
  • Romanian: păcătos — person who has sinned
  • Romanian: păcătoasă — person who has sinned
  • Russian: гре́шник (gréšnik) — person who has sinned
  • Russian: гре́шница (gréšnica) — person who has sinned
  • Sardinian: pecadore — person who has sinned
  • Sardinian: pecadori — person who has sinned
  • Scottish Gaelic: peacach — person who has sinned
  • Serbo-Croatian: гре̏шнӣк — person who has sinned
  • Serbo-Croatian: гре̏шница — person who has sinned
  • Serbo-Croatian: grȅšnīk — person who has sinned
  • Serbo-Croatian: grȅšnica — person who has sinned
  • Sicilian: piccaturi — person who has sinned
  • Slovak: hriešnik — person who has sinned
  • Slovak: hriešnica — person who has sinned
  • Slovene: grešnik — person who has sinned
  • Slovene: grešnica — person who has sinned
  • Spanish: pecador — person who has sinned
  • Spanish: pecadora — person who has sinned
  • Swahili: mwenye dhambi — person who has sinned
  • Swedish: syndare — person who has sinned
  • Tagalog: makasalanan — person who has sinned
  • Tajik: гунаҳкор (gunahkor) — person who has sinned
  • Tajik: хатокор (xatokor) — person who has sinned
  • Tatar: гөнаһкәр (gönahkär) — person who has sinned
  • Telugu: దోషకారి (dōṣakāri) — person who has sinned
  • Thai: คนบาป (kon-bàap) — person who has sinned
  • Turkish: günahkâr — person who has sinned
  • Ottoman Turkish: كناهكار (günahkar) — person who has sinned
  • Turkmen: günäkär — person who has sinned
  • Ukrainian: грі́шник (hríšnyk) — person who has sinned
  • Ukrainian: грі́шниця (hríšnycja) — person who has sinned
  • Urdu: گُناہ گار (gunāh gār) — person who has sinned
  • Urdu: پاپی (pāpī) — person who has sinned
  • Urdu: عاصی ('āsī) — person who has sinned
  • Uyghur: گۇناھكار (gunahkar) — person who has sinned
  • Uzbek: gunohkor — person who has sinned
  • Venetan: pecador — person who has sinned
  • Vietnamese: tội nhân — person who has sinned
  • Vietnamese: người có tội — person who has sinned
  • Vietnamese: người phạm tội — person who has sinned
  • Volapük: sinan — person who has sinned
  • Volapük: hisinan — person who has sinned
  • Volapük: jisinan — person who has sinned
  • Welsh: pechadur — person who has sinned
  • Māori: whiro — (figuratively, by extension) A person with negative qualities