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original sin

original sin

12 8.9
A condition all people get from Adam that makes them likely to do wrong
  • noun
  • /əˈrɪdʒɪnəl sɪn/
translation icon : pecado original
  • We're told that original sin enters the world in this event.
  • doctrine of original sin
  • concept of original sin
  • result of original sin

We're told that original sin enters the world in this event.

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Examples

  • In Christian theology, original sin signifies the fallen state of humanity inherited from Adam's disobedience.

  • The apple represents original sin.

  • Suffering and death go back to the original sin of our first parents.

    Blog text (21)
  • It's the doctrine of original sin.

  • Baptism, it washes away original sin.

  • The very act of baptism is, according to Christian theology, a cleansing of original sin.

    Academic text (1997)
  • Because of original sin, they argue, humanity is utterly incapable of fulfilling any moral law whatever.

    Academic text (2006)
  • Many theologians debate the implications of original sin on human nature.

  • According to church teachings, baptism removes the stain of original sin from a newborn.

Synonyms

fallenness
vsoriginal sin
  • Formal
9.9

A state of being morally wrong and separated from God after the first sin

emphasizes an inherited sinful state passed to all humans by Adam's disobedience

Antonyms

259 3.8

A good personal quality like honesty or kindness

35 3.6

Being free from doing wrong or evil things

Surface Forms

original sin singular
original sins plural

Morphology

original + sin

The adjective 'original' conveys 'first' or 'from the origin', so a learner who knows both words could guess this refers to a primary or first wrongdoing; however the full theological sense — a transmitted, inherited state of sin affecting all humans — is a specialized doctrinal meaning not directly derivable from the literal constituents. Cross-linguistic presence of similar terms (e.g. Spanish 'pecado original') may help recognition, but the specific inherited-condition nuance makes the phrase only partially predictable to a B1 learner.

Etymology

Original sin comes from the Bible story of Adam and Eve. Because they disobeyed God, their first wrong act was called the first or original sin, and people used this story to say that all humans are born with a 'state of sin'.