Added 9 October 2026
nefarious
/nɪˈfɛəɹi.əs/ adjective
In Latin: nefārius Wiktionary
adjective Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about nefarious at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
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Sinful, villainous, criminal, or wicked, especially when noteworthy or notorious for such characteristics.
Aliens have a nefarious connotation in many science fiction books.
Origin
From Latin nefārius (“execrable, abominable”), from nefās (“something contrary to divine law, an impious deed, sin, crime”), from ne- (“not”) + fās (“the dictates of religion, divine law”), which is related to Latin for (“to speak, to say”) and cognate to Ancient Greek φημί (phēmí, “to say”).
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)