guilty as sin
3
8.2
- idiom
- Informal
:
culpable como el pecado
- He acted guilty as sin when the teacher asked about the missing homework.
Examples
-
But in the eyes of the law, she's still as guilty as sin.
Fiction book (1998) -
When her secret was revealed, she felt guilty as sin for deceiving her friends.
-
I told him I was guilty as sin.
-
You came across guilty as sin back there.
-
Nevertheless, you are guilty as sin.
-
"What are you saying?" "I'm saying I'm guilty as sin, dear."
Fiction book (1997) -
I think you're guilty as sin.
-
I was as guilty as sin, but Valentine couldn't prove it.
-
This hardened criminal's as guilty as sin.
-
After admitting the mistake, he looked guilty as sin and could hardly make eye contact.
Synonyms
793
1.4
Showing that you feel bad about doing something wrong
504
1.0
Feeling embarrassed and guilty about something you did or failed to do
18
4.6
Feeling very sorry for doing something that hurt someone
10
4.9
Feeling very embarrassed and ashamed
8
4.8
Feeling sorry about something you did and wanting to make it right
5
6.5
Feeling very sorry and upset because you did something wrong
1
6.5
Feeling or showing shame and embarrassment
1
4.4
Feeling guilty and embarrassed after doing something wrong or being caught
1
8.6
Looking sad and ashamed because you feel guilty or embarrassed
Antonyms
How Guilty
Surface Forms
Morphology
The overall meaning is partly derivable: a learner who knows 'guilty' and 'sin' can infer a strong degree of wrongdoing, so they will likely guess it means very guilty. However, 'as sin' functions as a colloquial idiomatic intensifier rather than a strictly compositional comparison, so the exact pragmatic force and register are not fully predictable without exposure.
Etymology
Guilty as sin uses the strong image of sin as the worst kind of wrong. If someone is guilty 'as sin' they look clearly and deeply ashamed, so the phrase means 'feeling or appearing extremely guilty'.