nefarious
adjective
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What Is the Difference Between vicious, villainous, and nefarious?
Nefarious comes from the Latin adjective nefarius and the Latin noun nefas, which means "crime." Nefas is a combination of ne- ("not") and fas, meaning "right" or "divine law."
Synonyms
- bad
- dark
- evil
- immoral
- iniquitous
- rotten
- sinful
- unethical
- unlawful
- unrighteous
- unsavory
- vicious
- vile
- villainous
- wicked
- wrong
Example Sentences
Richard Wolin, New Republic, 4 June 2001 … I always give the same response: Just because Frank posed for pictures with every leading capo, underboss and cement contractor of the day doesn't mean that he joined them in their nefarious underworld activities. Oh, occasionally he rode along on a hit or two, but that was just one of those social obligations … Lewis Grossberger, Time, 21 Dec. 1998 Three-tenths of a mile uphill from our mailbox on the road, that bend is so nefarious that neophytes often skidded into a snowbank or wound up fender-deep in mud there. Maxine Kumin, In Deep, 1987 a nefarious scheme to cheat people out of their money the chaste heroines and nefarious villains of old-time melodramas Terry Terrones, EW.com, 25 Aug. 2022 The same technologies that can create realistic synthetic medical data can create other realistic data about humans, but this time for nefarious purposes. Nisha Talagala, Forbes, 31 July 2022 Putting genetic code or cell-assembly instructions online would hypothetically allow anyone anywhere to download genetic code from the internet and, with the right DNA synthesis equipment, build an organism or pathogen for nefarious purposes. Kira Sampson, STAT, 28 July 2022 Many speculated that Macron refused due to security concerns that the Russians would take and use his DNA for nefarious purposes. Liza Vertinsky, The Conversation, 3 June 2022 The legislation, passed in January 2021, requires FinCEN to create a corporate-ownership registry, which lawmakers hope will help limit the use of anonymous shell companies for nefarious purposes. Dylan Tokar, WSJ, 19 May 2022 This information could be used for nefarious tracking purposes. Molly Longman, refinery29.com, 19 May 2022 In more recent days, however, researchers captured thousands of malicious requests that demonstrate a significant portion of the exploits are used for nefarious purposes. Dan Goodin, Ars Technica, 18 May 2022 The talk dealt with how artificial intelligence software, typically used to develop drugs for treating, say, Pitt-Hopkins syndrome or Chagas disease, might be sidetracked for more nefarious purposes. Rebecca Sohn, Scientific American, 21 Apr. 2022 See More Word History
Latin nefarius, from nefas crime, from ne- not + fas right, divine law; perhaps akin to Greek themis law, tithenai to place — more at do
circa 1609, in the meaning defined above
nefarious
adjective
Synonyms & Similar Words
- evil
- unlawful
- immoral
- sinful
- vicious
- vile
- dark
- bad
- wicked
- villainous
- unethical
- unsavory
- iniquitous
- infamous
- corrupt
- rotten
- obscene
- wrong
- illegal
- unauthorized
- cruel
- improper
- offensive
- ugly
- unrighteous
- nasty
- dirty
- sordid
- cursed
- disreputable
- despicable
- contemptible
- ignoble
- infernal
- pernicious
- naughty
- depraved
- prohibited
- reprehensible
- perverted
- condemned
- dishonest
- forbidden
- unscrupulous
- objectionable
- atrocious
- noxious
- ill
- mean
- ungodly
- debauched
- snide
- unwholesome
- base
- sick
- evil-minded
- unhealthy
- censurable
- pestilential
- debased
- fallen
- dissolute
- degenerate
- scrofulous
- incorrect
- unseemly
- libertine
- blameworthy
- proscribed
- unprincipled
- reprobate
- outlawed
- loose
- blamable
- wretched
- miserable
- banned
- low-minded
- execrable
- dishonorable
- unclean
- indecent
- discouraged
- errant
- barred
- vulgar
- defiling
- lousy
- low
- disallowed
- interdicted
- indecorous
- unbecoming
- erring
- cussed
- curst
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- legitimate
- good
- noble
- moral
- ethical
- honorable
- virtuous
- legal
- righteous
- right
- sublime
- decent
- lofty
- high
- scrupulous
- honest
- reputable
- permissible
- just
- upright
- elevated
- permitted
- authorized
- legitimate
- sanctioned
- proper
- high-minded
- licensed
- endorsed
- approved
- correct
- decent
- exemplary
- principled
- innocent
- seemly
- promoted
- allowed
- pure
- supported
- perfect
- law-abiding
- clean
- decorous
- wholesome
- white
- creditable
- commendable
- abetted
- worthy
- unobjectionable
- guiltless
- blameless
- encouraged
- venerable
- immaculate
- irreproachable
- incorruptible
- inoffensive
- esteemed
- indorsed
- uncorrupted
- spotless
- chaste
- respected
- unerring
- squeaky-clean
- unfallen
- lily-white
- upstanding
Synonym Chooser
Some common synonyms of nefarious are corrupt, degenerate, iniquitous, vicious, and villainous. While all these words mean "highly reprehensible or offensive in character, nature, or conduct," nefarious suggests flagrant breaching of time-honored laws and traditions of conduct.
While in some cases nearly identical to nefarious, corrupt stresses a loss of moral integrity or probity causing betrayal of principle or sworn obligations.
In some situations, the words degenerate and nefarious are roughly equivalent. However, degenerate suggests having sunk to an especially vicious or enervated condition.
The words iniquitous and nefarious are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, iniquitous implies absence of all signs of justice or fairness.
The meanings of vicious and nefarious largely overlap; however, vicious may directly oppose virtuous in implying moral depravity, or may connote malignancy, cruelty, or destructive violence.
While the synonyms villainous and nefarious are close in meaning, villainous applies to any evil, depraved, or vile conduct or characteristic.