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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."
Examples of nefarious in a Sentence
Moreover, those starry-eyed states inclined to perceive international relations in moral terms frequently underestimate the nefarious machinations of their competitors on the world political stage.
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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
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
Recent Examples on the Web
The military declares martial law in the town as Daniels and his fellow scientists race to develop a cure, even as the nefarious McClintock schemes to bomb Cedar Creek to smithereens to contain the virus.
—Ars Technica, 14 Mar. 2025
Far from going away, fraudsters are expanding the scope of their nefarious initiatives.
—Alden Abbott, Forbes, 11 Mar. 2025
But their romantic evening takes a nightmarish turn when Violet begins receiving anonymous drops on her phone with nefarious memes and instructions, while her son is held hostage at home.
—Glenn Garner, Deadline, 9 Mar. 2025
Some security experts warn that outside hackers could exploit the situation to access the data for their own nefarious use.
—Daniel De Visé, USA TODAY, 23 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for nefarious
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Ars Technica, 14 Mar. 2025
Far from going away, fraudsters are expanding the scope of their nefarious initiatives.
—Alden Abbott, Forbes, 11 Mar. 2025
But their romantic evening takes a nightmarish turn when Violet begins receiving anonymous drops on her phone with nefarious memes and instructions, while her son is held hostage at home.
—Glenn Garner, Deadline, 9 Mar. 2025
Some security experts warn that outside hackers could exploit the situation to access the data for their own nefarious use.
—Daniel De Visé, USA TODAY, 23 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for nefarious
Cite this Entry
“Nefarious.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nefarious. Accessed 23 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
nefarious
adjective
ne·far·i·ous
ni-ˈfar-ē-əs 
-ˈfer-
: very wicked : evil
nefariously
adverb
nefariousness
noun
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