Reference only
Seven Deadly Sins
A historical catalog for understanding harmful patterns of character.
7 vices · reference only
Where this catalog comes from
This catalog comes from the Christian tradition. The names below follow the seven capital sins listed in the Catholic Catechism, paragraph 1866. They are a historical moral vocabulary, not a universal classification of people.
Historical classification: Catholic Catechism §1866The explanations below are contemporary editorial readings for this site, not definitions of religious doctrine. Consider conduct and context rather than assigning a label to a person.
Pride
A sense of superiority that resists correction or diminishes others.
Confidence and satisfaction in good work need not involve contempt.
Avarice
Acquisition becoming more important than fairness or the needs of others.
Providing for ordinary needs and financial security is not the same pattern.
Envy
Resentment of another person’s good fortune, with a wish to diminish it.
Admiration can instead help clarify what you value.
Wrath
Anger turned toward disproportionate retaliation or cruelty.
Feeling anger or objecting to injustice does not itself establish a vice.
Lust
Desire pursued with disregard for another person’s dignity, consent, or autonomy.
Attraction and consensual sexuality are not equated with this harmful pattern in our editorial treatment.
Gluttony
Consumption that repeatedly overrides consideration for its consequences and for others.
Appetite, body size, and illness are not measures of character.
Sloth
Persistent avoidance of a worthwhile action that one is able to undertake.
Rest, disability, exhaustion, and illness must not be interpreted as moral failure.
These catalogs have no enrollment, scoring, or workbook. They are offered for reflection, not diagnosis.