Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Law Having the nature of, relating to, or concerning a felony.
  • adjective Archaic Evil; wicked.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Malignant; malicious; indicating or proceeding from a depraved heart or an evil purpose; villainous; traitorous; perfidious: as, a felonious deed.
  • In law, done with the deliberate purpose of committing a felony.
  • Synonyms Illegal, Iniquitous, etc. See criminal.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective Having the quality of felony; malignant; malicious; villainous; traitorous; perfidious; in a legal sense, done with intent to commit a crime.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective Of, relating to, being, or having the quality of felony; malignant; malicious; villainous; traitorous; perfidious.
  • adjective law Done with intent to commit a crime.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective involving or being or having the nature of a crime

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From felony +‎ -ous.

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Examples

  • The latest news from the ‘undisclosed location’ is that George was a difficult student and that by beginning of the second term, Dick was not allowed to call all of the shots, just the ones that do not implicate Dick in felonious behavior, like suborning perjury, conspiracy to defraud, and actions that bring the government into a disreputable reputation in regards to following the law.

    Health care town halls will press on, could get heated 2009

  • I think there should be a criminal charge called felonious philandering.

    CNN Transcript Dec 21, 2009 2009

  • But when the same crimes are committed against citizens, it is called felonious assault.

    Archive 2006-01-01 Nathaniel Livingston 2006

  • But when the same crimes are committed against citizens, it is called felonious assault.

    A Lesson For Cecil Thomas Nathaniel Livingston 2006

  • The only "felonious" trait I observed was a furtive glance every now and then cast around, and especially up to the gallery.

    Mystic London: or, Phases of occult life in the metropolis Charles Maurice Davies 1869

  • Tier II offenders, who have been convicted on charges such as felonious sexual assault, distribution of child pornography or paying for sex with a minor, register twice a year for life.

    Nashuatelegraph.com: Breaking News | Web Feeds 2010

  • In that case, there were 56 police calls in 2008 for complaints such as felonious assault, disorderly conduct, criminal damaging, public urination, and noise.

    unknown title 2009

  • In that case, there were 56 police calls in 2008 for complaints such as felonious assault, disorderly conduct, criminal damaging, public urination, and noise.

    unknown title 2009

  • "Ay," says the justice, "a kind of felonious larcenous thing.

    Joseph Andrews, Volume 2 Henry Fielding 1730

  • On August 22, 1994, without giving prior notice to his attorneys and against their advice, Wilkinson pled guilty to two counts of first-degree burglary, three counts of first-degree murder, attempted first-degree rape, four counts of first-degree sexual offense, and two counts of felonious larceny.

    The Conservative Assault on the Constitution Erwin Chemerinsky 2010

Comments

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  • When a felon's not engaged in his employment,

    Or maturing his felonious little plans,

    His capacity for innocent enjoyment

    Is just as great as any honest man's.

    -- The Pirates of Penzance

    August 20, 2008