as in evil
not conforming to a high moral standard; morally unacceptable
the chaste heroines and nefarious villains of old-time melodramas
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of nefarious
For some, the ad copy about parents and offspring sounded less like a dictionary entry and more like a 4chan post—either politically obtuse or outrightly nefarious.
—
Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 30 July 2025
Instead of just keeping up with where things are in space—a job challenging enough—military officials now wrestle with distinguishing which objects might have a nefarious purpose.
—Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 28 July 2025
Beck suspects operators of a lithium mining operation in his county may be involved in nefarious doings, including murder.
—Sandra Dallas, Denver Post, 27 July 2025
The wizard is hot to find a missing book of magic protected by the elder Smurf, and Smurfette and Co. venture to Paris, Munich and the Australian Outback, plus enlist the help of Papa’s brother Ken (Nick Offerman) to foil the villain’s nefarious plans.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 18 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for nefarious
Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 30 July 2025
Instead of just keeping up with where things are in space—a job challenging enough—military officials now wrestle with distinguishing which objects might have a nefarious purpose.
—Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 28 July 2025
Beck suspects operators of a lithium mining operation in his county may be involved in nefarious doings, including murder.
—Sandra Dallas, Denver Post, 27 July 2025
The wizard is hot to find a missing book of magic protected by the elder Smurf, and Smurfette and Co. venture to Paris, Munich and the Australian Outback, plus enlist the help of Papa’s brother Ken (Nick Offerman) to foil the villain’s nefarious plans.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 18 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for nefarious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nefarious
Adjective
-
As Wednesday processes this, the evil one-eyed crow shows up and flies off with her evidence in its beak.—
Jessica M. Goldstein,
Vulture,
6 Aug. 2025
-
An avatar for good and an embodiment of evil sit face-to-face, locked in an eternal clash of wills.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
5 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Instead, advocates say those who are not in shelter are being pushed farther and farther away from services in an attempt to escape unlawful camping citations.—
Keely Doll,
The Courier-Journal,
15 Aug. 2025
-
Drake Solomon accuses his former employer of disability discrimination and an unlawful severance offer.—
Chantz Martin,
FOXNews.com,
15 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Rudy flames out on his first day, though, and ends up working for a shady lawyer named Bruiser (Lana Parrilla) and her gleefully immoral paralegal Deck (P.J. Byrne).—
Dave Nemetz,
TVLine,
12 Aug. 2025
-
Others argue the bombings were militarily unnecessary, inherently immoral, and primarily designed to flex American power.—
David Cavell,
Time,
6 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Don’t dream of leaving without ordering a gigantic slice of the coconut cake with cream cheese frosting—sinful and certainly comforting.—
Steve Forbes,
Forbes.com,
30 July 2025
-
Growing up in rural Tennessee, my grandfather learned that certain activities — card playing, smoking, imbibing — were sinful.—
Peter Rowe,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
18 July 2025
Adjective
-
Feeling profoundly betrayed and abandoned by David, Rebecca’s loyalty lies with the vicious and conniving Juno, the only family she’s known for the last decade.—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
13 Aug. 2025
-
Nothing could possibly go wrong with all the vicious alien specimens on board, right?—
Kelly Lawler,
USA Today,
12 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
The father even heard the husband shouting vile insults at his son.—
Rebecca White,
New York Daily News,
4 Aug. 2025
-
Flood died young, a couple of days after his 59th birthday, in 1997, from the vile effects of throat cancer.—
Ian O'Connor,
New York Times,
30 July 2025
Adjective
-
Sydney Sweeney’s new dark crime comedy Americana is new in theaters this weekend.—
Tim Lammers,
Forbes.com,
15 Aug. 2025
-
New mom, 28, long dark hair, in car speaking to camera for TikTok video.—
Daniella Gray,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Not bad for a company built on the back of a $40 plastic-cased watch!—
Oren Hartov,
Robb Report,
15 Aug. 2025
-
This is all made much, much worse by the fact that Claire’s parents end up time-travelling . . .—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
15 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Nefarious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nefarious. Accessed 19 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share