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nefarious

 - 3 dictionary results

ne⋅far⋅i⋅ous

  [ni-fair-ee-uhs]
–adjective
extremely wicked or villainous; iniquitous: a nefarious plot.
Use nefarious in a Sentence
Origin:
1595–1605; < L nefārius wicked, vile, equiv. to nefās offense against divine or moral law (ne- negative prefix + fās law, right) + -ius -ious, with intervocalic s > r

Related forms:
ne⋅far⋅i⋅ous⋅ly, adverb
ne⋅far⋅i⋅ous⋅ness, noun

Synonyms:
flagitious, heinous, infamous; vile, atrocious, execrable.

Antonyms:
good, honest.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2010.
Cite This Source Link To nefarious
ne·far·i·ous   (nə-fâr'ē-əs)   
adj.  Infamous by way of being extremely wicked.

[Latin nefārius, from nefās, crime, transgression : ne-, not; see ne in Indo-European roots + fās, divine law; see dhē- in Indo-European roots.]
ne·far'i·ous·ly adv., ne·far'i·ous·ness n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

nefarious 
1604, from L. nefarius "wicked, abominable," from nefas "crime, wrong, impiety," from ne- "not" (see un-) + fas "right, lawful, divinely spoken," related to fari "to speak" (see fame).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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