Dictionary

sinny en · ADJ

Pronunciation

• /ˈsɪni/

Etymology

From sin + -y; or perhaps continuing Middle English synny, from Old English synniġ (“guilty, punishable, criminal; sinful”), from Proto-West Germanic *sunnīg, *sundīg (“sinful”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian sändich (“sinful”), West Frisian sûndich (“sinful”), Dutch zondig (“sinful”), German Low German sündig, sünnig (“sinful”), German sündig (“sinful”), Swedish syndig (“sinful”), Faroese syndigur (“sinful”), Icelandic syndugur (“sinful”).

Meanings

1. (humorous, informal, rare) Characterised by or characteristic of sin; sinful; guilty of sin; wicked.
   • Our starry droog Kubrick the sinny veck has, my brothers, like brought forth from his like bounty and all that cal this kniggiwig, which is like all real horrorshow lomticks from his Great Masterpiece which would make any fine upstanding young malchick smeck from his yarbles and keeshkas. 1962, Anthony Burgess, edited by Andrew Biswell, A Clockwork Orange, New York: W. W. Norton & Company, published 2012, →ISBN, page xviii:
   • "That was a sinny-sin-sin! [...] 1974, Gerald G. Griffin, The silent misery: why marriages fail:
   • Still and tall he stands with such grace for such a man as he. I love his collar and his hair – a lion and his mane, did I dare tell – sinny, sinny, sin, sin, sin, sin, sin, sin,” (this was a peppy song in my head). 2011, Ann Palmer, Ann of 1,000 Lives: Author Ann Palmer Relives Her Own Past Lives:
   • I confess to quickly scanning the papal list, looking for the sin of homosexuality. It was not there! Maybe it is understood. It was like being dropped from the big annual Papal Magazine "Sinniest Sins Alive" special double issue. 2009, Kate Clinton, I Told You So:
   • [...] kick against Olive Oil Trust, they almost went to jail for their crimes, so they hurry around to Judge Landis face and was comforted to know that taking rebates from Harriman was sinnier than taking silverware from a Soldiers' Home. 1909, Wallace Irwin, Letters of a Japanese schoolboy ("Hashimura Togo"):
   • So, should I return to that childhood state When my life was not very sinny? No, I lived a Catholic hell back then, Where living was devoid of the fun kind of sin, And though I'll be sent to the all-faith Hell, In the mean time, [...] 2007, D. B. Clark, The Curse of Humorous Verse:
   • [...] of all of the sins that are drummed into the brains of the Uptight Sin-filled Abstainers, the sin of oral sex may be the sinniest (a wonderful new word). 2010, Washington Weaver, The Alliterating Philosopher: Philosophy Can Be Phun:

Forms