as in evil
not conforming to a high moral standard; morally unacceptable
the chaste heroines and nefarious villains of old-time melodramas
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Recent Examples of nefarious
But the group in question — the American Inns of Court — is hardly secretive given its large public presence, and there is no evidence that members are involved in nefarious activities targeting Trump.
—
Melissa Goldin, Twin Cities, 21 Mar. 2025
To deter nefarious acts and regardless of your home’s size, consider adding outside lights that face your residence.
—Nicole Letts, Southern Living, 20 Mar. 2025
But clearly, something nefarious is underpinning his campaign.
—Kelly Lawler, USA TODAY, 5 Mar. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for nefarious
Melissa Goldin, Twin Cities, 21 Mar. 2025
To deter nefarious acts and regardless of your home’s size, consider adding outside lights that face your residence.
—Nicole Letts, Southern Living, 20 Mar. 2025
But clearly, something nefarious is underpinning his campaign.
—Kelly Lawler, USA TODAY, 5 Mar. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for nefarious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nefarious
Adjective
-
At the time of Vallow's death, Vallow Daybell was espousing the belief that he was possessed by an evil spirit, the prosecution said.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
8 Apr. 2025
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Last season, there was an episode that featured an evil streaming executive — who dressed like, kind of looked like and whose name even sounded like Bela Bajaria, Netflix’s chief creative officer and your boss.—
Mikey O'Connell,
HollywoodReporter,
7 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Federal workers, migrants and transgender troops are among the groups arguing that Trump’s policies are unlawful and will cause irreversible harm if not blocked.—
Bart Jansen,
USA Today,
5 Apr. 2025
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In January, a federal appeals court declared DACA unlawful, but kept the policy in place.—
Nidia Cavazos,
CBS News,
4 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Firms carrying out an immoral contract in court may face other discipline.—
Josh Hammer,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Apr. 2025
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This legislation made its way through Congress back then in part because there was societal acceptance of the false belief that the Chinese were immutably immoral and threatening.—
Agustina Vergara Cid,
Oc Register,
30 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Driven by a religious mandate to purify society by stopping sinful behavior, the AFMRS’s missionaries provided direct outreach to low-income areas.—
Jenna Deep,
Smithsonian Magazine,
27 Mar. 2025
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Here's the list of least-to-most sinful states, according to WalletHub: TRAVELERS FLOCK TO TOP RELIGIOUS LANDMARKS DEEMED 'MOST INSTAGRAMMABLE' (iStock) 50.—
Andrea Margolis,
Fox News,
3 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Softened by pride, Amber slinks away herself, albeit much more cutely than Gregory and accompanied by a vicious side-eye.—
Ile-Ife Okantah,
Vulture,
3 Apr. 2025
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The Kansas City Glory’s season opener was set to begin on Saturday afternoon, but viral sensation Elena Easley was sitting on the field, experiencing a vicious headache.—
PJ Green,
Kansas City Star,
30 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Snow White gets a much more meaningful backstory The original Disney film begins with a few short sentences about how Snow White was forced to work as a scullery maid for her vile stepmother, the Queen.—
Patrick Ryan,
USA TODAY,
21 Mar. 2025
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Newsweek's efforts to politicize the death of these individuals, including the reporter's request to confirm names and locations of death, are vile.—
Josh Hammer,
Newsweek,
19 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Store green tea products in an airtight container in a cool, dry, dark place.—
Lindsay Curtis,
Verywell Health,
4 Apr. 2025
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TikTok briefly went dark in the US and was pulled from app stores on Jan. 18.—
Chloe Albanesius,
PC Magazine,
4 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Jack: This is just a bad team that has occasionally had good days.—
The View from the Lane,
New York Times,
5 Apr. 2025
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What happened was my bad behavior and my angst brought the energy finally.—
Madison E. Goldberg,
People.com,
5 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Nefarious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nefarious. Accessed 15 Apr. 2025.
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