Adjective

(en adjective)

Sinful, villainous, criminal, or wicked, especially when noteworthy or notorious for such characteristics.

* 1828 , , 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 , , 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 , , 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.”

Adjective

(en adjective)

Of the poorest quality.

Hateful.

* 1779 , Jefferson, letter to Patrick Henry written on March 27

But is an enemy so execrable , that, though in captivity, his wishes and comforts are to be disregarded and even crossed? I think not. It is for the benefit of mankind to mitigate the horrors of war as much as possible.

* {{quote-book

, date = 2001-06-01 , title = Guts: A Comedy of Manners , first = David , last = Langford , authorlink = David Langford , coauthors = Grant, John , publisher = Wildside Press , isbn = 9781587154485 , page = 72 , pageurl = http://books.google.com/books?id=XloXRhUhamIC&pg=PA72&dq=execrable , passage = The arcanely evil words of that despicable, loathsome, suppressed, vile, pululating, odious, nictating, repellent, repugnant, noxious, abhorrent, abominable, tory, execrable , nauseous work, Ye Boke of Guts , moved as if on a conveyor belt before his eyes. }}