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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Troy Lincoln, a 55-year-old worker for the Detroit Department of Transportation, was charged with assault with intent to murder, assault with intent to do great bodily harm and felonious assault, the Wayne County prosecutor’s office said in a July 4 news release. Kate Linderman, Kansas City Star, 7 July 2025 Brewer’s facing additional charges in Hamilton County Common Pleas Court, including felonious assault. Quinlan Bentley, The Enquirer, 3 July 2025 Brabant is facing the following charges in Eaton Municipal Court: Two counts of murder Two counts of felonious assault One count of tampering with evidence One count of attempt to commit an offense Brabant was taken into custody on Wednesday, June 26, and was booked into Preble County Jail. Fox19, Fox 19 Cincinnati, 26 June 2025 Cincinnati police arrested the teenager Tuesday, June 24, and charged him with murder, reckless homicide and two counts of felonious assault, the news release says. David Ferrara, Cincinnati Enquirer, 24 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for felonious

Word History

First Known Use

1567, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of felonious was in 1567

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Cite this Entry

“Felonious.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/felonious. Accessed 14 Jul. 2025.

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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