different between improper vs nefarious
improper
English
Alternative forms
- impropre (obsolete)
Etymology
From Middle French impropre, from Latin improprius (“not proper”), from in- + proprius (“proper”).
Pronunciation
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /?m?p??p.?/
- (General Australian) IPA(key): /?m?p??p.?/
- (General American) IPA(key): /?m?p??.p?/
- Rhymes: -?p?(?)
Adjective
improper (comparative more improper, superlative most improper)
- unsuitable to needs or circumstances; inappropriate; inapt
- Not in keeping with conventional mores or good manners; indecent or immodest
- Not according to facts; inaccurate or erroneous
- Not consistent with established facts; incorrect
- Not properly named; See, for example, improper fraction
- (obsolete) Not specific or appropriate to individuals; general; common.
- 1608, John Fletcher The Faithful Shepherdess
- Not to be adorned with any art but such improper ones as nature is said to bestow, as singing and poetry.
- 1608, John Fletcher The Faithful Shepherdess
Synonyms
- unproper (obsolete or rare)
Derived terms
Translations
Verb
improper (third-person singular simple present impropers, present participle impropering, simple past and past participle impropered)
- (obsolete, transitive) To appropriate; to limit.
- 1565, John Jewel, letter to Thomas Harding
- He would in like manner improper and inclose the sunbeams to comfort the rich and not the poor.
- 1565, John Jewel, letter to Thomas Harding
- (obsolete) To behave improperly
Anagrams
- impropre
improper From the web:
- what improper fraction
- what improper fraction is equal to 1/2
- what improper fraction is equal to 3
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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
nefarious From the web:
- what nefarious mean
- nefarious meaning in english
- what nefarious mean in spanish
- nefarious what does it mean
- nefarious what language
- what does nefarious mean in the bible
- what do nefarious mean
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