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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
vicious, villainous, iniquitous, nefarious, corrupt, degenerate mean highly reprehensible or offensive in character, nature, or conduct.
vicious may directly oppose virtuous in implying moral depravity, or may connote malignancy, cruelty, or destructive violence.
villainous applies to any evil, depraved, or vile conduct or characteristic.
iniquitous implies absence of all signs of justice or fairness.
nefarious suggests flagrant breaching of time-honored laws and traditions of conduct.
corrupt stresses a loss of moral integrity or probity causing betrayal of principle or sworn obligations.
degenerate suggests having sunk to an especially vicious or enervated condition.
Examples of nefarious in a Sentence
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'nefarious.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Nefarious.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nefarious. Accessed 8 Sep. 2024.
Kids Definition
nefarious
adjective
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