Meaning & use

nefarious

adjective·Advanced

Extremely wicked, criminal, or morally dishonest in nature or intent.

See it in a sentence

The detective slowly uncovered the businessman's nefarious scheme to launder stolen money.

The villain's nefarious plan involved deceiving the entire town for personal gain.

A note on using this word

Nefarious is a strong, somewhat literary word, often used for elaborate or calculated wrongdoing rather than minor misbehavior.

Words with a similar meaning

wickedvillainoussinister

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Words with an opposite meaning

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