felonious
Americanadjective
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Law. pertaining to, of the nature of, or involving a felony.
felonious homicide; felonious intent.
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wicked; base; villainous.
adjective
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criminal law of, involving, or constituting a felony
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obsolete wicked; base
Other Word Forms
- feloniously adverb
- feloniousness noun
- nonfelonious adjective
- nonfeloniously adverb
- nonfeloniousness noun
- unfelonious adjective
- unfeloniously adverb
Etymology
Origin of felonious
1375–1425; felony + -ous; replacing late Middle English felonous < Anglo-French, Old French
Explanation
Something felonious is against the law, or related to crime. A felonious spree might involve stealing cars and robbing banks. Criminal activity is felonious, and if you know someone who shoplifts or steals credit card numbers, you could call him your felonious acquaintance. If a jewelry store manager forgets to lock the shop door, it's a felonious opportunity, unless a passing thief restrains her felonious impulses. Felonious and the related felony come from the Old French felonie, "wickedness, treachery, or crime," from the Gallo-Roman fellonem, "evil-doer."
Vocabulary lists containing felonious
The Glass Castle
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Red Kayak
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Their deaths amounted 5% of the 60 law enforcement officials who died that year because of felonious incidents.
From Seattle Times • May 2, 2024
"We qualify such a felonious deed as a crime - as an act of dehumanisation," Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told Radio Sputnik.
From Reuters • Oct. 18, 2023
A state trooper in Michigan has been acquitted by a jury after being charged with felonious assault for using a police dog to subdue an unarmed, injured man in 2020, prosecutors said.
From New York Times • Aug. 10, 2023
Painter David Choe, who plays Danny's fun yet felonious cousin Isaac on the show, first became famous for making a fortune by painting murals at Facebook, for which he was paid in Facebook stock.
From Salon • Apr. 13, 2023
It helps, though, to read with a felonious mind.
From "Woe Is I" by Patricia T. O'Conner
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
