Wicked or criminal — evil in a way that implies deliberate, calculated wrongdoing rather than impulsive harm.
From Latin nefarius (wicked, abominable), from nefas (wrong, crime against divine law), from ne- (not) + fas (divine law, right). Nefarious acts violate not just human law but cosmic order — they are transgressions against the fabric of things.
Nefarious does not just mean bad — it means cosmically wrong. From the Latin for violating divine law. When you call someone nefarious, you are not just saying they broke rules. You are saying they broke the universe's rules. It is the strongest moral condemnation English has.
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