felonious

adjective

fe·​lo·​ni·​ous fə-ˈlō-nē-əs 

1

archaic : very evil : villainous

2

: of, relating to, or having the nature of a felony

felonious assault

feloniously adverb

feloniousness noun

Synonyms

• criminal
• illegal
• illegitimate
• illicit
• lawless
• unlawful
• wrongful

Examples of felonious in a Sentence

the commission found that while the senator's actions were ethically questionable, they were not felonious

Recent Examples on the Web

In September, Myra’s grandmother, 43-year-old Mia Harris, pleaded guilty to felonious assault, and on Oct. 29 she was sentenced to nine to 12 years in prison. —John Johnston, The Enquirer, 28 Nov. 2024

Adam Coy, 48, was found guilty of murder, felonious assault and reckless homicide for fatally shooting Andre Hill on Dec. 22, 2020, in the state capital of Columbus. —Joseph Wilkinson, New York Daily News, 4 Nov. 2024

Besides murder, the jury also found Coy guilty of felonious assault and reckless homicide. —Bill Hutchinson, ABC News, 4 Nov. 2024

About a month after the shooting, the 46-year-old Coy was arrested and indicted on charges of murder, reckless homicide, felonious assault and two counts of dereliction of duty. —Bill Hutchinson, ABC News, 21 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1567, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Legal Definition

felonious

adjective

fe·​lo·​ni·​ous fə-ˈlō-nē-əs 

: of, relating to, or constituting a felony

felonious sale of cocaine

feloniously adverb