nefarious
English · Thesaurus
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nefarious
- /nɪˈfɛəɹi.əs/ UK
- /nɪˈfɛɹ.i.əs/ Canada, US
- /nɪˈfeːɹi.əs/ Australia
Rhymes with -ɛəɹi.əs
Where it comes from
From Latin nefārius (“execrable, abominable”), from nefās (“something contrary to divine law, an impious deed, sin, crime”), from ne- (“not”) + fās (“the dictates of religion, divine law”), which is related to Latin for (“to speak, to say”) and cognate to Ancient Greek φημί (phēmí, “to say”).
adjective more nefarious · most nefarious
-
Sinful, villainous, criminal, or wicked, especially when noteworthy or notorious for such characteristics.
Aliens have a nefarious connotation in many science fiction books.
Similar: evil, iniquitous, sinister, underhanded, vile, good-for-nothing, abandoned, arrant, bad, bad apple, bad seed, baleful
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: villainous, wicked, wickedness, evil, malignant, infamous, malicious, sinister, iniquitous, notorious, despicable, unholy, hateful, disgraceful, shameful, abominable
Translations
Every language
adj sinful, villainous, criminal, or wicked, especially when noteworthy or notorious for such characteristics
| Español | nefario, nefando, feo, infame, vicioso, malvado |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 사악(邪惡)하다 saakhada |
| Português | nefasto |
| Français | infâme, malfaisant, néfaste, maléfique, malveillant |
| Deutsch | berüchtigt, schändlich, ruchlos, verachtenswert, bösartig, böse |
| Italiano | nefasto, scellerato, diabolico, infernale, sinistro |
| Română | abject, infam, păcătos, vicios |
| Русский | бесче́стный besčéstnyj, нече́стный nečéstnyj, ни́зкий nízkij, гну́сный gnúsnyj, ме́рзкий mérzkij, по́длый pódlyj |
| العربية | شَائِن šāʔin |
Talk about this word "nefarious." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/nefarious. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. nefarious. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/nefarious "nefarious." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/nefarious.Cite this
@misc{nefarious_2026,
title = {nefarious},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/nefarious},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
