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flagitious

flagitious

1 9.9
A very wicked and criminal act that shocks people
  • adjective
  • /fləˈdʒɪʃəs/
  • Archaic
: atroz

Examples

  • I wish there were some way to help these miserable, flagitious, eccentric dodos.

    Blog text (21)
  • "We have very great reason to believe it was chiefly by this gentleman, Mr. McNish, and his practices that was the occasion of the late riot committed here, a riot so very flagitious that it nearly bordered upon rebellion," the magistrates continued, referring to the confrontation at Bull's house.

    Academic text (1990)
  • His flagitious actions shocked everyone and revealed his true character.

  • The corrupt official was found guilty of flagitious misconduct during his time in office.

  • The documentary exposed the flagitious practices of the illegal trade that harmed countless lives.

Synonyms

evil
vsflagitious
∞ 1.2

Being very bad and morally wrong, often causing harm to others

stresses extreme moral shock and serious wrongdoing beyond ordinary wrongs
wicked
vsflagitious
112 4.6

A person or action that is very bad and cruel

is more extreme and often implies criminal or shocking acts
heinous
vsflagitious
  • Formal
82 9.0

Extremely cruel and shocking

covers the same shocking wickedness and also stresses criminality
egregious
vsflagitious
58 8.9

Very bad and obvious in a way that shocks people

is about extreme moral evil rather than mere obviousness
depraved
vsflagitious
  • Formal
44 7.8

Very bad and cruel in the way someone behaves

focuses more on the shocking criminal or evil action itself
nefarious
vsflagitious
  • Formal
43 8.8

Very bad and illegal, done to harm people

is broader, stressing shocking moral badness beyond sneaky plots
diabolical
vsflagitious
42 8.2

Very evil and cruel, like a devil

covers that extreme wrongdoing but in general moral terms
criminal
vsflagitious
33 3.7

Very wrong and deserving strong blame

is stronger, stressing shocking moral wrongs beyond legal blame
monstrous
vsflagitious
27 7.3

Very cruel and shocking, causing strong fear

shares extreme moral shock but less focus on horror visuals
flagrant
vsflagitious
  • Formal
24 7.0

Obvious and very bad in a way that shocks people

is similar but stresses deep moral evil rather than visibility
malevolent
vsflagitious
22 8.0

Wanting to harm others

is about the shocking harmful acts themselves, not just intent
vicious
vsflagitious
20 4.9

Morally wrong or deserving strong criticism

is harsher, indicating extreme wickedness rather than general wrongness
odious
vsflagitious
  • Formal
19 8.2

Very unpleasant and likely to make people feel strong dislike

is more about shocking criminal wickedness than mere dislike
ungodly
vsflagitious
18 7.2

Morally wrong because it goes against religious rules

is secular and stresses shocking criminal or moral wickedness
dastardly
vsflagitious
  • Archaic
18 8.4

A person who is very cruel and cowardly, often betraying others secretly

is broader, covering extreme evil without the cowardly nuance
villainous
vsflagitious
14 7.3

Very bad and cruel, often hurting other people

is similarly extreme but not tied to a storybook villain image
fiendish
vsflagitious
10 7.9

Being very cruel and evil and making others suffer

is the same deep wrongness but stated more neutrally
putrid
vsflagitious
  • Offensive
10 8.3

Having very bad character and doing dishonest things

describes the same extreme moral wrong but as acts rather than rot
atrocious
vsflagitious
7 7.6

Very cruel and shocking, causing great pain and fear

is similar but centres on moral wickedness rather than gore
iniquitous
vsflagitious
  • Formal
2 9.8

Very unfair and wrong in a way that harms people

is similar but adds the sense of criminal shock

Antonyms

∞ 1.0

Behaving in a kind and honest way

23 4.3

Being morally good and doing what is right

How Wicked

heinous
  • Formal
82 9.0
flagitious
  • Archaic
1 9.9
evil
∞ 1.2
immoral
131 4.6
bad
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

flagitious positive

Etymology

Flagitious comes from the Latin word flagitium, which means 'shameful crime'. A helpful way to remember it is to think of flagrant, another word for something openly bad, so flagitious means 'extremely wicked' or 'criminal'.