What does sinner mean?
A sinner is a person who has committed a sin or repeatedly behaves wrongly. The word is most familiar from Christian teaching and moral discourse, where sin may mean either wrongdoing in general or a departure from religious law. It can also be used more secularly for someone considered guilty of a serious moral offence. The term often implies that wrongdoing has damaged a person’s character, but it does not necessarily mean that the person is beyond redemption; phrases such as “save a sinner” explicitly allow for the possibility of reform. A sinner is different from the sin itself: the latter is the wrongful act or condition, while the former is the individual associated with it. In modern usage, the word can convey moral condemnation, religious concern, or, when applied to humanity collectively, a recognition of universal fallibility.
nounA person who has committed a sin or who regularly does wrong. The term is especially common in moral and religious contexts.
- A person who has committed a sin or sins, especially in a moral or religious sense.
"He regarded everyone as a sinner capable of redemption."
"The novel portrays the murderer not as an irredeemable sinner but as a frightened man."
"In the ceremony, the congregation was asked to pray for every sinner in the world."
The usual plural form, used when referring to multiple people who have committed wrongdoing or who are regarded as morally imperfect.
"The story asks whether sinners can find forgiveness."
The ending tells the story: a sinner is, quite literally, someone who has sinned.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does sinner come from?
“Sinner” is a Middle English formation built from “sin” and the suffix “-er,” meaning a person who performs or is characterized by a particular action. “Sin” derives from Old English “syn,” an established word for wrongdoing or offence, especially within the religious and legal vocabulary of early medieval England. Related forms include the adjective “sinful” and the adjective “sinless,” both of which preserve the same semantic field.
Related word forms
How sinner is actually used
The word is common in religious and moral language but can sound rhetorical or judgemental in secular contexts. It may refer to a specific wrongdoer or, more generally, to humanity as a whole.
Easily confused with sinner
A sin is an act or state of wrongdoing, whereas a sinner is the person who commits it.