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

But of all the abuses that deformed the Anglo-Saxon government, none was so flagitious as the sale of judicial redress.

From An Essay on the Trial by Jury by Spooner, Lysander

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

Gage offered to pardon all who would lay down their arms, except Samuel Adams and John Hancock, "whose offences are of too flagitious a nature" for forgiveness.

From The Siege of Boston by French, Allen

In truth, the ancient problem is extinct, and no reader of this volume will continue to wonder how so intelligent and reasonable a man came to propose such flagitious counsels.

From The History of Freedom by Acton, John Emerich Edward Dalberg Acton, Baron