Meaning & use
nefarious
Last updated
Meaning
adjectivebefore a nounformalliterary
Extremely wicked, criminal, or morally dishonest in nature or purpose.
Grammar: Usually modifies nouns: nefarious plot; it can follow be but is often attributive.
Patterns
- nefarious scheme
- nefarious plot
- nefarious activities
Detectives uncovered a nefarious scheme to sell fake vaccines.
The novel follows a spy trying to stop a nefarious arms deal.
Common combinations
- nefarious scheme
- The accountant exposed a nefarious scheme to hide company debts.
- nefarious plot
- A nefarious plot to poison the reservoir failed at the last minute.
- nefarious activities
- The bank reported suspicious transfers and other nefarious activities.
- nefarious purposes
- The app warned that stolen data could be used for nefarious purposes.
Synonyms and how they differ
- wicked
- Wicked is a strong general word for evil; nefarious often suggests planned, secret, or calculated wrongdoing.
- villainous
- Villainous fits story villains and cruel behavior; nefarious is more formal and can describe real crimes.
- criminal
- Criminal means against the law; nefarious stresses deep moral badness and is not limited to legal guilt.
- corrupt
- Corrupt describes dishonest use of power or money; nefarious is broader and darker in tone.
Opposites
Word family
- nefariously adverb
- In an extremely wicked or criminal way.
- nefariousness noun
- The quality of being wicked or villainous.
Commonly confused: nefarious or notorious?
nefarious vs notorious
Notorious means famous for something bad; nefarious describes the wicked nature of the thing itself.
Practice
Choose the best word: The hackers devised a ___ plan to steal patient records.
Choose one answer.
Nefarious fits a wicked criminal plan. Notorious is tempting because it relates to bad reputation, but it describes fame for wrongdoing rather than the plan's evil design.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “nefarious”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.