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

• 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

She was charged with first-degree murder, second-degree child abuse, felonious assault and assaulting/resisting/obstructing a police officer, investigators said. —Mike Stunson, Kansas City Star, 29 Oct. 2025

Booth, who police say has no criminal history, is charged with first-degree murder, one count of second-degree child abuse, one count of felonious assault and three counts of resisting a police officer. —Liam Quinn, PEOPLE, 29 Oct. 2025

He has been charged with felonious assault and domestic violence. —Gillian Stawiszynski, Cincinnati Enquirer, 24 Oct. 2025

Sribniak, the dog's handler, is charged with assault with a dangeous weapon/felonious assault. —Christina Hall, Freep.com, 19 Sep. 2025

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