larcenous

2 8.6

Likely to steal things

adjective
/ˈlɑːrsənəs/

Archaic

: ladrón

All agree that the government ought to curb murderous or larcenous behavior.
larcenous behavior

Examples

She was known for her larcenous behavior, often stealing from her friends without remorse.
Are we not done with this larcenous duo?

Hillary's America: The Secret History of the Democratic Party (2016)
Practitioner of the larcenous crafts.

Dungeons & Dragons (2000)
The Gordons had a partner or partners who I believe were more larcenous than they were.

Fiction book (1997)
Sir, despite my larcenous impulses, I am a gentleman.

Pocketful of Miracles (1961)
The father also changed his will to disinherit his larcenous son, setting up a trust fund for his grandchildren administered by an independent trustee.

Academic text (2002)
Yes, I think you're a petty, larcenous crook.

Fashions of 1934 (1934)
The larcenous thief was caught on camera taking items from the store.
They warned their children to be cautious of larcenous individuals who might try to take advantage of them.

Synonyms

thieving

vslarcenous

1 6.3

Often taking things from other people without permission

is about a general inclination not necessarily repeated theft

thievish

vslarcenous

8.2

Likely to steal things that are not yours

is about an inclination rather than repeated stealing actions

Antonyms

honest

∞ 1.0

Truthful and fair, not cheating or lying

How Thievish

kleptomaniacal

Specialized

1 9.8

larcenous

Archaic

2 8.6

dishonest

128 2.5

untrustworthy

21 4.8

honest

∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

larcenous positive

Morphology

larcenous = larceny (transparent) = larceny + ous

Formed by straightforward suffixation of '-ous' to 'larceny', so the meaning 'characteristic of theft' is directly derivable.

Etymology

Larcenous comes from the same root as larceny, which means 'theft' and goes back to a long-ago Latin word latro meaning 'robber'. So, larcenous describes someone or something that tends to steal.