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.

The probe alleged that Powell was somehow acting nefariously in his oversight of the renovation at the Federal Reserve’s headquarters in D.C.

From Slate • Apr. 24, 2026

In a two-star review, the Telegraph's Robbie Collin called it a "nefariously lazy" adaptation that is little more than a "half-hearted parody of a whodunnit".

From BBC • Aug. 24, 2025

Reyes conveys Celie’s deep-feeling nature with grace, and then shows how that performance of empathy can be weaponized toward a nefariously selfish end.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 18, 2023

But Disney hasn’t been behaving any more nefariously than other corporations.

From Washington Post • Apr. 8, 2022

This girl was said to have nefariously "copied" from another, in the course of a written examination; and, as prefect of her class Mary was bound to track the evil down.

From The Getting of Wisdom by Richardson, Henry Handel