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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
This was meant to prevent unscrupulous spammers from being able to send unauthenticated email that could come complete with a nefarious payload.
—Davey Winder, Forbes.com, 20 Apr. 2025
Slowly, the plot changes from a simple rebuilding mission into a rescue coated in a nefarious conspiracy.
—Gieson Cacho, Mercury News, 18 Apr. 2025
Game of Thrones standout and Emmy winner Peter Dinklage, for example, will recur as a nefarious billionaire venture capitalist, while Uma Thurman (Kill Bill) costars as his head of security.
—Randall Colburn, EW.com, 17 Apr. 2025
However, Corbell does not believe the unidentified objects are nefarious or operated by a foreign adversary.
—Julia Bonavita, FOXNews.com, 17 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for nefarious
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Davey Winder, Forbes.com, 20 Apr. 2025
Slowly, the plot changes from a simple rebuilding mission into a rescue coated in a nefarious conspiracy.
—Gieson Cacho, Mercury News, 18 Apr. 2025
Game of Thrones standout and Emmy winner Peter Dinklage, for example, will recur as a nefarious billionaire venture capitalist, while Uma Thurman (Kill Bill) costars as his head of security.
—Randall Colburn, EW.com, 17 Apr. 2025
However, Corbell does not believe the unidentified objects are nefarious or operated by a foreign adversary.
—Julia Bonavita, FOXNews.com, 17 Apr. 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 24 Apr. 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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