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Glite Dictionary
feloniousness

feloniousness

9.9
The degree to which an act is serious and illegal
  • noun
  • /fəˈloʊniəsnəs/
  • Specialized
translation icon : delictividad
  • The prosecutor argued convincingly about the feloniousness of the defendant's actions.

Examples

  • Her feloniousness was evident in the way she planned the robbery.

  • The feloniousness of his actions shocked everyone.

  • Many laws differentiate between degrees of feloniousness and lesser offenses.

  • The report focused on reducing the feloniousness prevalent in certain neighborhoods.

  • The prosecutor argued convincingly about the feloniousness of the defendant's actions.

  • Many laws differentiate between degrees of feloniousness and lesser offenses.

  • Her feloniousness was evident in the way she planned the robbery.

Synonyms

criminality
vsfeloniousness
24 5.6

The amount of crime or the number of people who break the law in an area

relates specifically to serious crimes rather than crime in general
unlawfulness
vsfeloniousness
  • Formal
1 6.8

Not following the law

is limited to serious crimes rather than any illegal act
criminalness
vsfeloniousness
  • Formal
9.1

Being involved in illegal acts

is about conduct that counts as serious wrongdoing rather than any illegal act
criminalism
vsfeloniousness
  • Specialized
9.6

A situation in which many people take part in illegal acts

emphasizes involvement in serious crimes rather than general illegal activity

How Illegal

feloniousness
  • Specialized
9.9
criminality
24 5.6
illegality
14 6.7
lawfulness
  • Formal
1 4.7

Surface Forms

feloniousness singular
feloniousnesses plural

Morphology

feloniousness = felonious (semi-transparent) = felon + ious + ness

The noun is regularly formed from the adjective 'felonious', but the adjective itself is somewhat learned and not fully transparent from 'felon' for many learners.

Etymology

The word feloniousness comes from felon, meaning 'a serious criminal', with the endings -ous and -ness that turn a word into 'the quality of being'. So, feloniousness simply means the state or quality of involving a serious crime.