Synonyms for nefarious
- adjective
Most common
All synonyms
Adjective
1. Wicked — sinful, villainous, criminal, or wicked, especially when noteworthy or notorious for such characteristics
wicked, villainous, sinister, heinous, evil, iniquitous, bad, despicable, vile, infamous, devilish, sordid, criminal, reprehensible, depraved, immoral, notorious, vicious, scandalous, good-for-nothing, outrageous, detestable
Other
Definitions
- adj. 1
Sinful, villainous, criminal, or wicked, especially when noteworthy or notorious for such characteristics.
Aliens have a nefarious connotation in many science fiction books.
Choose the right word
Nefarious is still stronger, implying a breach of the most sacred obligations, and points more directly to the intrinsic badness of the deed.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)
Example sentences
- evil Grr! Avoid not, unwelcome evil and cowardly beast!
- sinister Gustavo's tone and mannerisms were really sinister.
- heinous Fadil committed a heinous crime in the name of love.
- villainous Ziri rubbed his hands together with villainous glee.
Popularity over time
| Word | 1850 → 2019 | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| nefarious | rising | |
| evil | rising | |
| sinister | rising | |
| heinous | rising | |
| villainous | rising |
Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.
By length
- 3 letters
- bad1
- 4 letters
- evil2, vile1
- 6 letters
- wicked2, sordid2
- 7 letters
- vicious2, immoral3, heinous2
- 8 letters
- criminal3, infamous3, sinister3, depraved2, devilish2
- 9 letters
- notorious4
- 10 letters
- outrageous3, despicable4, scandalous3, villainous3, detestable, iniquitous
- 13 letters
- reprehensible5
The small number after each word is its number of syllables (evil2 = 2 syllables).