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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
In a 2004 study, the United States Institute of Peace said that hundreds of terrorist groups had migrated online, utilizing a tool meant for better communication for often nefarious purposes.
—Richard Frankel, ABC News, 11 Sep. 2025
For example, the agency might become corrupt and those running AGI start to use the AGI for their own nefarious purposes.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
Occasionally other nefarious actors would create their own webpages with similar domain names.
—Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 3 Sep. 2025
This would point any nefarious civilization in the direction of the aforementioned Dyson spheres, probably.
—Fran Ruiz, Space.com, 2 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for nefarious
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Richard Frankel, ABC News, 11 Sep. 2025
For example, the agency might become corrupt and those running AGI start to use the AGI for their own nefarious purposes.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
Occasionally other nefarious actors would create their own webpages with similar domain names.
—Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 3 Sep. 2025
This would point any nefarious civilization in the direction of the aforementioned Dyson spheres, probably.
—Fran Ruiz, Space.com, 2 Sep. 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 17 Sep. 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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