as in criminal
contrary to or forbidden by law
the commission found that while the senator's actions were ethically questionable, they were not felonious
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Recent Examples of felonious
William Brock was convicted of three counts of murder, one count of felonious assault, and one count of kidnapping on Jan. 14, according to court records obtained by USA TODAY.
—
Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 16 Jan. 2026
William Daggett, who later served as Mitchellville’s police chief and interim city administrator before resigning the day the state audit was released, is charged with first-degree theft and felonious misconduct in office.
—Nick El Hajj, Des Moines Register, 9 Jan. 2026
Although there doesn’t have to be a guilty verdict by a judge or a jury, or a guilty plea from the accused, there must be some finding by a criminal or civil court of an intentional and felonious killing.
—Naomi Cahn, The Conversation, 22 Dec. 2025
Rebecca Auborn, 35, also pleaded guilty to one count of felonious assault and theft, a spokeswoman for the Franklin County Prosecutor’s Office said.
—Tim Stelloh, NBC news, 19 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for felonious
Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 16 Jan. 2026
William Daggett, who later served as Mitchellville’s police chief and interim city administrator before resigning the day the state audit was released, is charged with first-degree theft and felonious misconduct in office.
—Nick El Hajj, Des Moines Register, 9 Jan. 2026
Although there doesn’t have to be a guilty verdict by a judge or a jury, or a guilty plea from the accused, there must be some finding by a criminal or civil court of an intentional and felonious killing.
—Naomi Cahn, The Conversation, 22 Dec. 2025
Rebecca Auborn, 35, also pleaded guilty to one count of felonious assault and theft, a spokeswoman for the Franklin County Prosecutor’s Office said.
—Tim Stelloh, NBC news, 19 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for felonious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for felonious
Adjective
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Now, new emails have revealed how some notable figures were well aware of Epstein’s sensitivity around his criminal past.—
Brendan Ruberry,
semafor.com,
16 Feb. 2026
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McCarthy warned that being too quick to bring untested criminal cases against political adversaries risks damaging institutional legitimacy regardless of which party is in power.—
Kaelan Deese,
The Washington Examiner,
15 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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These new regulations impose the world’s fastest removal deadline, requiring platforms to take down unlawful synthetic media within three hours of notification.—
Munis Raza,
Interesting Engineering,
20 Feb. 2026
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On Wednesday, a coalition of health and environmental groups sued the EPA over the revocation, calling it unlawful and harmful.—
Dorany Pineda,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Louisville police say anything that goes into the air or explodes is illegal for average citizens.—
James Bruggers,
The Courier-Journal,
5 July 2017
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Official fireworks shows took place over the city, and illegal pyrotechnics lit up the sky everywhere in between.—
Lisa Beebe,
Los Angeles Magazine,
5 July 2017
Adjective
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Social issue and character driven, events are steered by Swiss gold trader Hannah who, with her company teetering towards collapse, turns to illicit trading.—
John Hopewell,
Variety,
18 Feb. 2026
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Students subsequently signed a pledge promising to say no to illicit substances and study two hours per night, and engaged in a call-and-response chant with Jackson.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
17 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Many of the students who have participated in school walkouts have cited deep personal concerns about how ICE's operations could result in wrongful detainments or violence in their communities.—
Cate Charron,
IndyStar,
19 Feb. 2026
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The Atlantic’s staff writer Nick Miroff is the recipient of the 2025 George Polk Award for immigration reporting for his coverage of the wrongful deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia.—
The Atlantic,
The Atlantic,
18 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Felonious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/felonious. Accessed 22 Feb. 2026.
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