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felonious

[fuh-loh-nee-uh s]
See more synonyms for felonious on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. Law. pertaining to, of the nature of, or involving a felony: felonious homicide; felonious intent.
  2. wicked; base; villainous.
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Origin of felonious

1375–1425; felony + -ous; replacing late Middle English felonous < Anglo-French, Old French
Related formsfe·lo·ni·ous·ly, adverbfe·lo·ni·ous·ness, nounnon·fe·lo·ni·ous, adjectivenon·fe·lo·ni·ous·ly, adverbnon·fe·lo·ni·ous·ness, nounun·fe·lo·ni·ous, adjectiveun·fe·lo·ni·ous·ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for felonious

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • The fact that the shooting is felonious does not make it any more likely to kill people.

    The Common Law

    Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.

  • The suit was by way of appeal; the cause of action, a felonious trespass.

    The Common Law

    Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.

  • He might be with this felonious lot, but he wouldn't be of them.

    Ravensdene Court

    J. S. (Joseph Smith) Fletcher

  • I wasn't tryin' to break into the army with felonious intent.

  • Mr. Hutton started, as though he had been taken in some felonious act.

    Mortal Coils

    Aldous Huxley

British Dictionary definitions for felonious

felonious

adjective
  1. criminal law of, involving, or constituting a felony
  2. obsolete wicked; base
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Derived Formsfeloniously, adverbfeloniousness, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for felonious

adj.

mid-15c. (implied in feloniously), from felony + -ous. Replaced felonous (mid-14c.) by c.1600. Felonly (c.1300) was another variation.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper