Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

felonious

/fɛlˈoʊniəs/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: 2.21 in modern English

Syllables: felo-nious
IPA: /fɛlˈoʊniəs/

12

Scrabble Score

9

Letters

4

Syllables

8

Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Of, relating to, being, or having the quality of felony.

adj

Done with intent to commit a crime.

Example Sentences

"The defendant must show that any bail money he hopes to post did not come from the felonious means."
"O thievish Night, / Why should'st thou, but for some felonious end, / In thy dark lantern thus close up the stars?"
"felonious homicide"
"First, as felony prosecutor, I prosecute high-level felonies including homicides; sexual assaults; child endangerings; shootings and other felonious assaults; and media cases."

Etymology

From Middle English *felonious (implied in feloniously; compare felonous); equivalent to felony + -ous.

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Subject

Wiktionary places this term in Law.

Inflected Forms

more felonious (comparative) most felonious (superlative)

Derived Forms

feloniously feloniousness infelonious nonfelonious unfelonious

Frequently Paired Words

felon felonize felonization criminal misdemeanourous

Synonyms

malignant malicious villainous traitorous perfidious criminal

Rhymes With

erroneous harmonious sanctimonious acrimonious antonius parsimonious polonius unceremonious petronius ceremonious euphonious inharmonious

Questions

How do you pronounce felonious?: The recorded pronunciation is /fɛlˈoʊniəs/.
What does felonious mean?: Of, relating to, being, or having the quality of felony.
Where does felonious come from?: It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce felonious

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “felonious”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/fɛlˈoʊniəs/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “felonious”.
Repeat and practice — Say “felonious” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.