flagitious

American  

[fluh-jish-uhs] / fləˈdʒɪʃ əs /

adjective

1. shamefully wicked, as persons, actions, or times.

2. heinous or flagrant, as a crime; infamous.

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flagitious British  

/ fləˈdʒɪʃəs /

adjective

1. atrociously wicked; vicious; outrageous

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Other Word Forms

• flagitiously adverb
• flagitiousness noun
• nonflagitious adjective
• nonflagitiously adverb
• nonflagitiousness noun
• unflagitious adjective

Etymology

Origin of flagitious

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English flagicious, from Latin flāgitiōsus, equivalent to flāgiti(um) “shame, scandal” + -ōsus -ous

Explanation

Flagitious is a fancy and forceful word for "wicked and nasty." As sheriff, it's up to you to bring the flagitious outlaws to justice. Remember that flagitious has three syllables and the "t" is pronounced like "sh" (similar to "ambitious"). Use flagitious when you want to emphasize the extremely brutal nature of a crime or other bad action. The crime scene photos showed the results of actions so flagitious you could not bear to look at them.

Example Sentences

To applaud the sadists, voyeurs and media manipulators masquerading as directors, actors and writers is as misguided as were the lives of that flagitious couple.

From Time Magazine Archive

The highest civilizations, both ancient and modern, have sometimes been the most flagitious.

From Public School Education by Müller, Michael

The conduct of Lucretia Borgia has been the subject of much obloquy, which her defenders maintain rests chiefly on inferences from her living in a flagitious court, where she witnessed the most profligate scenes. 

From Faustus his Life, Death, and Doom by Borrow, George Henry

This flagitious deed “Against my country, and against my sire, “Was all for thee.

From The Metamorphoses of Publius Ovidus Naso in English blank verse Vols. I & II by Howard, J. J.

Gossip—which had become differentiated from scandal, because of a wider variety of subjects to chatter about than flagitious conduct, occupied a large proportion of the time of the women.

From Women of England by James, Bartlett Burleigh