different between hideous vs nefarious
hideous
English
Etymology
From Middle English hidous, from Anglo-Norman hidous, from Old French hideus, hydus (“that which inspires terror”), from earlier hisdos, from Old French hisda (“horror, fear”), of uncertain and disputed origin. Probably from Proto-West Germanic *agisiþu (“horror, terror”), from Proto-West Germanic *agis?n (“to frighten, terrorise”), from Proto-Germanic *agaz (“terror, fear”), from Proto-Indo-European *h?eg?- (“to frighten”). Cognate with Old High German egisa, egid? (“horror”), Old English egesa (“fear, dread”), Gothic ???????????????? (agis, “fear, terror”).
Alternative etymology cites possible derivation from Latin hispidosus (“rugged”), from hispidus (“rough, bristly”), yet the semantic evolution is less plausible.
Pronunciation
- (UK) IPA(key): /?h?d.i?.?s/
- (US) IPA(key): /?h?d.i.?s/
Adjective
hideous (comparative more hideous, superlative most hideous)
- Extremely or shockingly ugly.
- Thomas Babington Macaulay.
- A piteous and hideous spectacle.
- Having a very unpleasant or frightening sound
- 1719, Daniel Defoe, Robinson Crusoe
- He started up, growling at first, but finding his leg broken, fell down again; and then got upon three legs, and gave the most hideous roar that ever I heard.
- 1719, Daniel Defoe, Robinson Crusoe
- Hateful; shocking.
- Morally offensive; shocking; detestable.
Usage notes
- Nouns to which "hideous" is often applied: monster, creature, man, woman, face, thing, crime, form, death, aspect, spectacle, picture, roar, sound, manner, way, disease, mistake, shape, dress, fact, act, smile.
Synonyms
- frightful, ghastly, grim, grisly, grotesque, horrid, dreadful, terrible
Derived terms
- hideosity
- hideously
- hideousness
Translations
Middle English
Adjective
hideous
- Alternative form of hidous (“terrifying”)
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nefarious
English
Etymology
From Latin nef?rius (“execrable, abominable”), from nef?s (“something contrary to divine law, an impious deed, sin, crime”), from ne- (“not”) + f?s (“the dictates of religion, divine law”), which is related to Latin for (“I speak, I say”) and cognate to Ancient Greek ???? (ph?mí, “I say”).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /n??f???i.?s/
- (UK) IPA(key): /n??f????.?s/
- Rhymes: -??ri?s
Adjective
nefarious (comparative more nefarious, superlative most nefarious)
- Sinful, villainous, criminal, or wicked, especially when noteworthy or notorious for such characteristics.
- Synonyms: evil, iniquitous, sinister, underhanded, vile, good-for-nothing; see also Thesaurus:evil
- 1828, James Fenimore Cooper, The Red Rover, ch. 2:
- "If the vessel be no fair-trading slaver, nor a common cruiser of his Majesty, it is as tangible as the best man's reasoning, that she may be neither more nor less than the ship of that nefarious pirate the Red Rover."
- 1877, Anthony Trollope, The Life of Cicero, ch. 9:
- Mommsen . . . declares that Catiline in particular was "one of the most nefarious men in that nefarious age. His villanies belong to the criminal records, not to history."
- 1921, P. G. Wodehouse, The Indiscretions of Archie, ch. 26:
- The fact that the room was still in darkness made it obvious that something nefarious was afoot. Plainly there was dirty work in preparation at the cross-roads.
- 2009 Oct. 14, Monica Davey, "Fact Checker Finds Falsehoods in Remarks," New York Times (retrieved 12 May 2014):
- “I try to let everyone back here in Minnesota know exactly the nefarious activities that are taking place in Washington.”
- Aliens have a nefarious connotation in many science fiction books.
Usage notes
- Commonly used in contexts involving villainous plans, conspiracies, or actions, as in:
- 1909, Bram Stoker, The Lady of the Shroud, book 7:
- The whole nefarious scheme was one of the "put-up jobs" which are part of the dirty work of a certain order of statecraft.
Derived terms
- nefariously
- nefariousness
Translations
References
- nefarious at OneLook Dictionary Search
Anagrams
- isofurane
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