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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
Louis-Dreyfus’ villainous character has positioned a number of MCU loners and rejects to kill each other for her own nefarious reasons.
—Pamela McClintock, HollywoodReporter, 29 Apr. 2025
As many high-profile hacks and data leaks have shown, private data can easily be mishandled and exploited for nefarious purposes.
—Corey G. Johnson, ProPublica, 29 Apr. 2025
But the breathtaking audacity of imagining Paramount+’s German office as a Nazi war room raises the beef to A5 Japanese Wagyu levels, right along with casting an actor who speaks like a nefarious officer in a WWII movie.
—Scott Tobias, Vulture, 28 Apr. 2025
However, in learning more about Palpatine’s backstory, the actor was only further intrigued by this horribly nefarious individual.
—Harrison Richlin, IndieWire, 27 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for nefarious
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Pamela McClintock, HollywoodReporter, 29 Apr. 2025
As many high-profile hacks and data leaks have shown, private data can easily be mishandled and exploited for nefarious purposes.
—Corey G. Johnson, ProPublica, 29 Apr. 2025
But the breathtaking audacity of imagining Paramount+’s German office as a Nazi war room raises the beef to A5 Japanese Wagyu levels, right along with casting an actor who speaks like a nefarious officer in a WWII movie.
—Scott Tobias, Vulture, 28 Apr. 2025
However, in learning more about Palpatine’s backstory, the actor was only further intrigued by this horribly nefarious individual.
—Harrison Richlin, IndieWire, 27 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 7 May. 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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