HOW TO PRONOUNCE
nefarious
/nəˈfɛɹiəs/
Press play to hear how to pronounce nefarious.
American Pronunciation Guide · 0:23
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LISTEN FOR THIS
Give “far” the main beat here.
Use four syllables with a light opening vowel. The vowels after the stressed second syllable lead through ee into a light uh before the final s.
4 syllables · Stress on syllable 2
TRY SAYING
“The mystery centers on a nefarious scheme.”
APG practice sentence · CC BY-SA 4.0
CMU Pronouncing Dictionary ↗What does nefarious mean?
adjective
- Sinful, villainous, criminal, or wicked, especially when noteworthy or notorious for such characteristics.
Definitions regrouped for readability · CC BY-SA 4.0
IPA pronunciation
/nəˈfɛɹiəs/
Pronunciation used in the listening tip.
CMU Pronouncing Dictionary ↗Pronunciation varies by speaker and region. About these dictionary pronunciations.
In the pages of books
See this word in context.
Anne pleaded eloquently against his nefarious design and Jane and Diana supported her morally and valiantly.
The ``statesman'' whom office does not render positively nefarious is at best an expensive superfluity.
More book examples (3)
The nefarious opinion of the papists, which attributes the merit of grace and the remission of sins to works, must here be emphatically rejected.
Edison narrates two incidents that may be taken as characteristic of a good deal that had to be contended with, coming in the shape of nefarious attack.
The criminal is allowed to carry out her nefarious designs without the slightest interference or protest from any of her neighbours, though these must necessarily include the chief party interested.