felonious

adjective

fe·​lo·​ni·​ous fə-ˈlō-nē-əs How to pronounce felonious (audio)
1
archaic : very evil : villainous
2
: of, relating to, or having the nature of a felony
felonious assault
feloniously adverb
feloniousness noun

Examples of felonious in a Sentence

the commission found that while the senator's actions were ethically questionable, they were not felonious
Recent Examples on the Web Travis, who was 18 at the time, also pleaded guilty to two counts of felonious assault in connection with the wounding of two others in the same shooting. The Enquirer, 8 Mar. 2024 Edwards was found guilty on two counts of murder, two counts of felonious assault, and one court of domestic violence, WKYC reported. Jennifer Rodriguez, Kansas City Star, 5 Mar. 2024 Adams can sometimes sound more forgiving of criminals with felonious ambition—go-getters—than of those guilty of misdemeanors. Ian Parker, The New Yorker, 7 Aug. 2023 Foster, Browner and the teen face charges of murder and felonious assault, according to court documents. Erin Couch, The Enquirer, 28 Feb. 2024 She was acquitted of two counts of murder and one count of felonious assault. Nicole Acosta, Peoplemag, 23 Feb. 2024 Graham is charged with felonious assault, police said. Lauren Liebhaber, Kansas City Star, 9 Feb. 2024 Donald Trump is regarded as crazy, dishonest, unpleasant, and felonious. Daniel Foster, National Review, 30 Nov. 2023 According to a statement released Friday by the Northwest Local Schools and Colerain Township, the student attacker is being charged with felonious assault and was treated at a hospital before being taken to the Hamilton County Juvenile Detention Center. The Courier-Journal, 9 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'felonious.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1567, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of felonious was in 1567

Dictionary Entries Near felonious

Cite this Entry

“Felonious.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/felonious. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Legal Definition

felonious

adjective
fe·​lo·​ni·​ous fə-ˈlō-nē-əs How to pronounce felonious (audio)
: of, relating to, or constituting a felony
felonious sale of cocaine
feloniously adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on felonious

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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