felonious

adjective

fe·​lo·​ni·​ous fə-ˈlō-nē-əs 

1

archaic : very evil : villainous

2

: of, relating to, or having the nature of a felony

felonious assault

feloniously adverb

feloniousness noun

Synonyms of felonious

• criminal
• unlawful
• illegal
• illicit
• wrongful

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

Zachary Robert Stacer, 22, was arrested on July 30 and charged with two counts of assault with intent to do great bodily harm, three counts of felonious assault and five counts of resisting and obstructing a police officer. — Joseph Buczek, CBS News, 1 Aug. 2026

At his sentencing, Cuyahoga County Assistant Prosecutor Connor Davin recounted Loftis’ long history of criminal convictions, which included charges of assault on a peace officer, drug trafficking, felonious assault and armed robbery. — Christine Pelisek, PEOPLE, 9 July 2026

Police were serving a search warrant from a felonious assault case. — Leah Olajide, Freep.com, 26 June 2026

In August 2023, Shirilla was convicted of murder, felonious assault, aggravated vehicular homicide, drug possession, and criminal tools possession (psilocybin mushrooms and a scale were found at the crime scene). — Bethy Squires, Vulture, 24 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1567, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for felonious

• erroneous
• harmonious
• peroneus
• polonius
• acrimonious
• ceremonious
• inharmonious
• parsimonious
• sanctimonious
• unceremonious

Legal Definition

felonious

adjective

fe·​lo·​ni·​ous fə-ˈlō-nē-əs 

: of, relating to, or constituting a felony

felonious sale of cocaine

feloniously adverb