nefarious
adjectiveGraduateELO 1,400GREGMAT
DEFINITION
extremely wicked
WEBSTER'S 1913
Wicked in the extreme; abominable; iniquitous; atrociously villainous; execrable; detestably vile.
ETYMOLOGY
Latin nefas (profane)
SYNONYMS
IN LITERATURE
“They do treat 'em nefarious down thah on the wholesale plantations.”
— Winston Churchill, Project Gutenberg Complete Works of Winston Churchill
IN USE
“Secretary of State Colin Powell's former chief of staff, Lawrence Wilkerson, said Diego Garcia was used by the CIA for "nefarious activities".”
Test yourself on nefarious — and 100,000 other words rated by difficulty
Free · No credit card · 3 sessions/day