as in evil
not conforming to a high moral standard; morally unacceptable
the chaste heroines and nefarious villains of old-time melodramas
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Recent Examples of nefarious
Trump’s base is convinced that there is nefarious material implicating mostly, if not solely, Democrats just around the corner, even if there are piles of instances that show Trump palling around with Epstein.
—
Philip Elliott, Time, 18 July 2025
The public turns its back on Superman, however, when the megalomaniacal Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult) executes a plot that suggests the Man of Steel has nefarious plans for Earth.
—Tim Lammers, Forbes.com, 11 July 2025
The vernacular of Combs’s activities comes across as kinky, not immediately nefarious.
—Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 3 July 2025
Though the reasons for the forces behind the nefarious organization are made more plain in the last two episodes, the show’s pacing stalls out, losing the intense momentum that had been so carefully built until this point.
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 13 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for nefarious
Philip Elliott, Time, 18 July 2025
The public turns its back on Superman, however, when the megalomaniacal Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult) executes a plot that suggests the Man of Steel has nefarious plans for Earth.
—Tim Lammers, Forbes.com, 11 July 2025
The vernacular of Combs’s activities comes across as kinky, not immediately nefarious.
—Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 3 July 2025
Though the reasons for the forces behind the nefarious organization are made more plain in the last two episodes, the show’s pacing stalls out, losing the intense momentum that had been so carefully built until this point.
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 13 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for nefarious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nefarious
Adjective
-
Prosecutors alleged Vallow Daybell and her husband, Chad Daybell, believed an apocalypse was imminent and people around them were evil zombies.—
Christopher Cann,
USA Today,
25 July 2025
-
Thanks to now-iconic moments like Bob Barker’s surprisingly physical cameo and a cast including Christopher McDonald as Happy’s cartoonishly evil rival Shooter McGavin, the movie became a cult classic.—
Skyler Trepel,
EW.com,
25 July 2025
Adjective
-
After the incident, the McCloskeys's were were seized by law enforcement, and they were charged with unlawful use of a weapon by St. Louis' former Democratic prosecutor, Kim Gardner.—
Sophia Compton,
FOXNews.com,
3 Aug. 2025
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On July 30, the Department of Justice released a memo stating that DEI practices are unlawful and discriminatory.—
Jordan Green,
Nashville Tennessean,
1 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Stigmatizing language portrays people who use drugs as immoral or criminal, pushing them away from care.—
Diana Fishbein,
Chicago Tribune,
29 July 2025
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If all rational, moral individuals wanted what the order provided, then critics were either irrational and uninformed or immoral and disingenuous.—
STACIE E. GODDARD,
Foreign Affairs,
28 July 2025
Adjective
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Growing up in rural Tennessee, my grandfather learned that certain activities — card playing, smoking, imbibing — were sinful.—
Peter Rowe,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
18 July 2025
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The therapy was the most spiritual, calming and sinful experience of Ingrid’s life.—
Carly Tagen-Dye,
People.com,
16 July 2025
Adjective
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Not to mention, antibiotics aren’t always effective at killing drug-resistant bugs, and each UTI leaves you more susceptible to future infections, creating a vicious cycle.—
Erica Sloan,
SELF,
1 Aug. 2025
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Coming less than a year after the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in the same neighborhood, which was widely regarded as an assassination motivated by contempt for the American health insurance industry, LePatner’s death prompted a similarly vicious response on social media.—
Miles Klee,
Rolling Stone,
1 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Arriving in London, Jess has a chance encounter with Felix (Will Sharpe), a broke musician, in a particularly vile pub toilet.—
Sophie Gilbert,
The Atlantic,
17 July 2025
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The tweets, a vile departure from Elmo’s often inspiring and motivational social media cadence, were sent on July 13 and promptly taken down.—
Zack Sharf,
Variety,
14 July 2025
Adjective
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This was courtesy of the changing wind direction, which picked up in strength as a few dark clouds gathered near the circuit, with some drivers even reporting a sprinkling of rain as Q2 got underway.—
Luke Smith,
New York Times,
2 Aug. 2025
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Sophie's gun — which was an impulse buy just a few days back — is found and identified as the weapon that killed Abby. Sophie's quest to vindicate herself then leads to the unraveling of dark secrets, sketchy relationships, twisted small-town politics and more.—
Stephanie Sengwe,
People.com,
2 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Truth be told, neither outcome would have been a bad choice.—
Blake Oestriecher,
Forbes.com,
4 Aug. 2025
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This wasteful Everglades abomination surely is one of our worst.—
Elise Bennett,
The Orlando Sentinel,
3 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Nefarious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nefarious. Accessed 8 Aug. 2025.
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