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What Is the Difference Between vicious, villainous, and nefarious?
Nefarious comes from the Latin adjective nefarius and the Latin noun nefas, which means "crime." Nefas is a combination of ne- ("not") and fas, meaning "right" or "divine law."
Examples of nefarious in a Sentence
Moreover, those starry-eyed states inclined to perceive international relations in moral terms frequently underestimate the nefarious machinations of their competitors on the world political stage.
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Richard Wolin, New Republic, 4 June 2001
… I always give the same response: Just because Frank posed for pictures with every leading capo, underboss and cement contractor of the day doesn't mean that he joined them in their nefarious underworld activities. Oh, occasionally he rode along on a hit or two, but that was just one of those social obligations …
—Lewis Grossberger, Time, 21 Dec. 1998
Three-tenths of a mile uphill from our mailbox on the road, that bend is so nefarious that neophytes often skidded into a snowbank or wound up fender-deep in mud there.
—Maxine Kumin, In Deep, 1987
a nefarious scheme to cheat people out of their money
the chaste heroines and nefarious villains of old-time melodramas
Richard Wolin, New Republic, 4 June 2001
… I always give the same response: Just because Frank posed for pictures with every leading capo, underboss and cement contractor of the day doesn't mean that he joined them in their nefarious underworld activities. Oh, occasionally he rode along on a hit or two, but that was just one of those social obligations …
—Lewis Grossberger, Time, 21 Dec. 1998
Three-tenths of a mile uphill from our mailbox on the road, that bend is so nefarious that neophytes often skidded into a snowbank or wound up fender-deep in mud there.
—Maxine Kumin, In Deep, 1987
a nefarious scheme to cheat people out of their money
the chaste heroines and nefarious villains of old-time melodramas
Recent Examples on the Web
Whether these changes are intentional or nefarious isn’t necessarily the question.
—Mika Newton, Forbes.com, 13 May 2025
Given that DeSantis graduated from both Yale and Harvard, to issue such an order implies either illness or deeply nefarious intent.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 9 May 2025
This isn’t to say that the platform isn’t nefarious.
—Deni Ellis Béchard, Scientific American, 7 May 2025
An unnamed American intelligence agency oversees the world with staggering precision, never allowing a nefarious actor to elude its vision for too long.
—Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 7 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for nefarious
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Mika Newton, Forbes.com, 13 May 2025
Given that DeSantis graduated from both Yale and Harvard, to issue such an order implies either illness or deeply nefarious intent.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 9 May 2025
This isn’t to say that the platform isn’t nefarious.
—Deni Ellis Béchard, Scientific American, 7 May 2025
An unnamed American intelligence agency oversees the world with staggering precision, never allowing a nefarious actor to elude its vision for too long.
—Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 7 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for nefarious
Cite this Entry
“Nefarious.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nefarious. Accessed 20 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
nefarious
adjective
ne·far·i·ous
ni-ˈfar-ē-əs 
-ˈfer-
: very wicked : evil
nefariously
adverb
nefariousness
noun
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