nefarious
47
8.8
- adjective
- /nəˈfɛrɪəs/
- Formal
:
nefario
- And when merchants and manufacturers cannot accomplish their nefarious purposes alone, they turn to government for help.
- nefarious activities
- nefarious purposes
- nefarious designs
And it is a far larger, more nefarious system of bad actors.
- And it is a far larger, more nefarious system of bad actors.
- There's just such an evil, nefarious force at play.
- But also saying that people in government are particularly nefarious or evil.
- Now, whether this is intentional, accidental, or, you know, nefarious, we don't know.
- But far more nefarious than what I just described is Steve Bannon.
- Often times one must work with, talk to and compromise with certain nefarious actors.
- The love bombing gets shaped over time, which is what makes it so nefarious.
- So with the good also comes this very nefarious curious bad too.
- My theory, my nefarious theory is I call it crate training.
- I decided to engage in this nefarious activity my myself.
- That's more nefarious in my mind.
- It's very similar world sports and kind of nefarious activity and crime.
Examples
-
The villain's plan was so nefarious that even his allies were afraid to support him.
-
On its face, a simple glass snow globe, but its true purpose is nefarious.
-
But also saying that people in government are particularly nefarious or evil.
-
It's very similar world sports and kind of nefarious activity and crime.
-
And it is a far larger, more nefarious system of bad actors.
-
I have no nefarious plot to secret away knowledge from you.
-
I also had to handle cops, flowers, and other nefarious aspects of running this business.
Fiction book (1999) -
Are they really taking our side against the nefarious government and corporations?
-
However, something nefarious happens when a reform movement becomes the political status quo over time.
Academic text (2018) -
But Decker suspected it might have much to do with nefarious activities out here.
Fiction book (1995)
Synonyms
∞
1.0
Morally wrong or harmful to other people
149
4.6
A person or action that is very bad and cruel
92
9.0
Extremely cruel and shocking
91
8.1
Extremely evil and cruel, as if caused by the devil
89
5.8
Wanting to hurt someone or damage their good name
87
6.1
Giving a feeling that something bad will happen
44
8.2
Very evil and cruel, like a devil
36
7.5
Extremely evil and cruel, like something from hell
22
8.0
Wanting to harm others
21
7.2
Morally wrong because it goes against religious rules
20
6.3
Extremely cruel and evil, like something from hell
17
8.4
A person who is very cruel and cowardly, often betraying others secretly
14
7.3
Very bad and cruel, often hurting other people
10
7.9
Being very cruel and evil and making others suffer
4
7.6
A harmful, evil force that causes people or things to suffer
1
7.8
Very evil and cruel, like the devil
1
9.9
A very wicked and criminal act that shocks people
Antonyms
How Wicked
Surface Forms
Morphology
nefarious = nefar (opaque) = nefar + ious
The root 'nefar' is not a productive English word and the adjective is a learned borrowing, so learners cannot reliably derive the meaning from its parts.
Etymology
Nefarious comes from the Latin word nefas, which meant 'wrong' or a 'crime' and is made from ne- ('not') plus fas ('what the gods allow'). So, nefarious describes actions that are not allowed and are deeply evil or criminal today.