What's the difference between nefarious and scurrilous?

Nefarious


Definition:

  • (adv.) Wicked in the extreme; abominable; iniquitous; atrociously villainous; execrable; detestably vile.

Example Sentences:

  • (1) The author of the new bill, Mike Rogers, the Republican chair of the House intelligence committee , has said it is aimed at tracking the nefarious activities of hackers, terrorists and foreign states, especially China.
  • (2) But remember: record companies can be callous and nefarious beasts."
  • (3) "If there is evidence that a particular American is involved in terrorism or other nefarious activity, then intelligence and law enforcement agencies should absolutely investigate that person aggressively, by showing that evidence to a judge and getting a warrant.
  • (4) For decades she’s been portrayed as a Lady Macbeth involved in nefarious plots, branded as “a congenital liar” and accused of covering up her husband’s misconduct, from Arkansas to Monica Lewinsky.
  • (5) In the fevered Daily Mail version, this fact suggests a nefarious and hyperactive court, up to mischief and rejoicing in 'overruling' national authorities, better to promote the interests of sex offenders and the homicidal.
  • (6) The talks came as the RAF dropped "precision" weapons on the Central Organisation for Electronic Research, described by the Ministry of Defence as "a cover for the regime's nefarious activities".
  • (7) Muscular dysfunction has a nefarious effect on subsequent facial growth.
  • (8) Thor: The Dark World sees Chris Hemsworth's Asgardian prince forced to team up with Tom Hiddleston's crafty Loki to take down an even greater threat, Christopher Eccleston's nefarious Malekith.
  • (9) A few minutes’ walks away, are the Catacumbas del Beaterio , part of a network of tunnels used for nefarious and religious purposes: short tours began last year.
  • (10) The optional measure was designed to “provide DHS greater clarity and visibility to possible nefarious activity and connections by providing an additional tool set which analysts and investigators may use”.
  • (11) Pushkov claimed Moscow and the EU were looking to solve the gas dispute between Russia and Ukraine but were being stymied by Washington's nefarious plans.
  • (12) Meanwhile, Donald Trump appeared to accuse Obama of harbouring a nefarious secret agenda on national security, linking the president to the mass shooting.
  • (13) Look, he’s the clear frontrunner, he’s been in six debates already, answered more questions from the media than any other candidate on the stage combined.” The Fox News press release that irked Trump and led to his withdrawal read: “We learned from a secret back channel that the Ayatollah and Putin both intend to treat Donald Trump unfairly when they meet with him if he becomes president – a nefarious source tells us that Trump has his own secret plan to replace the Cabinet with his Twitter followers to see if he should even go to those meetings.” Trump derided it as “a wise guy press release .
  • (14) Until recently Bitcoin had been a largely obscure currency used by the tech-savvy , libertarians wishing to thumb their noses at central bankers and people involved in more nefarious activities such as online gambling (often illegal in the US) or drug deals .
  • (15) Time was one would head to that area whenever a nefarious local had gone missing because, in time, the body would wash up in the River Lee.
  • (16) It also warned that “the conviction and detention of an individual for being in a declared area where no evidence has been provided of a nefarious intent could be arbitrary for the purposes of international human rights law”.
  • (17) Naturally, such features can be used for nefarious ends too, but Taaki says that's the price to be paid for freedom.
  • (18) While I’m not interested in a specific individual, I’m interested in the emergent behaviour of the crowd.” Facebook Twitter Pinterest City-simulation company Simudyne creates computerised models ‘with pretty pictures’ to aid disaster-response planning But what about more nefarious bodies who are interested in specific individuals?
  • (19) Via nefarious means I've watched two episodes of Lilyhammer , BBC4's brand new "not very good thing with subtitles we're hoping to keep The Killing audience enraptured with", where a New York mob boss (Steven Van Zandt) goes into hiding in Norway with hilarious results.
  • (20) We all know about the military uses of drones (bomb lots of people, surveillance), and how drones can be used for nefarious purposes (theft, voyeurism), but there are actually some pretty cool uses for drones too.

Scurrilous


Definition:

  • (a.) Using the low and indecent language of the meaner sort of people, or such as only the license of buffoons can warrant; as, a scurrilous fellow.
  • (a.) Containing low indecency or abuse; mean; foul; vile; obscenely jocular; as, scurrilous language.

Example Sentences:

  • (1) They are not about press illegality but something mysteriously called "misdemeanour" – that is scurrility, intrusion and unfairness.
  • (2) They were there to record everything from his despair at the fickleness of his recruits, to the distress of his wife Jools at the way the media had invaded their privacy, with scurrilous rumours of infidelity.
  • (3) With its combination of scurrilous details (“flask” sized penises and a key witness called Bubba the Love Sponge) and big picture analysis (“this is the biggest First Amendment case in the internet age”), Hogan v Gawker is a classic Denton story.
  • (4) Jailed in 1971 for his part in producing the scurrilous magazine Oz, he runs the Forest of Dennis, more than 600,000 new trees covering 500 hectares, through a charitable trust.
  • (5) The flurry of scandal over Oxford University Press stopping its children’s writers from referring to pigs or pork for fear of risking Middle East sales – or the Harper Collins atlases for export that mysteriously omit Israel for the same reason – show how easily freedom slips away unless scurrilous outriders like Charlie Hebdo can keep mocking church and mosque.
  • (6) Also moving last week: • Switzerland, 26 April: Sion president Christian Constantin says reports that he could sack his fifth coach of the season are scurrilous: "Gattuso is going nowhere, he calls the shots – nothing will be done here without his say so."
  • (7) Richard Davenport-Hines in his recently published An English Affair: Sex, Class and Power in the Age of Profumo writes that 1963 was the year when "the soapy scum flowed after the sluices of self-righteous scurrility were opened".
  • (8) Others on the train begin spreading scurrilous rumours that I am travelling in first class, forcing me later to produce my train tickets.
  • (9) The union vowed to ramp up industrial action, including strikes in the autumn over a range of grievances spanning pay, pensions and workload after passing a motion denouncing "scurrilous attacks, abuse, intimidation and lies" and accusing the government of a "vicious assault" on the profession.
  • (10) Rather, it will protect members of the public from the more scurrilous abuses, which in my case resulted in the printing of lies and unfounded allegations.
  • (11) Through the listserv, conference calls were quickly organized among top scientists across the country to discuss how to respond to the news that what was seen as a scurrilous and misleading film was to be given a high-profile airing.
  • (12) I am not a member or even supporter of the Labour party but your scurrilous coverage has convinced me that your paper no longer lives up to the label.
  • (13) The justice secretary, Kenneth Clarke , said: "As the law stands, individuals can be the subject of scurrilous rumour and allegation on the web with little meaningful remedy against the person responsible.
  • (14) "We are instructed to record our clients' complete rejection of the scurrilous allegations made by the applicants in their papers.
  • (15) What about Damian McBride, Brown's shamed spin doctor, sacked for sending an email suggesting planting scurrilous and untrue rumours about members of the opposition?
  • (16) McBride was forced to resign as Brown's head of strategy in 2009 after he sent Draper emails containing scurrilous gossip and lies about Conservative MPs as planning for Red Rag took shape.
  • (17) Whether such scurrilous operations will surface in 2012 might depend on how close the polls are and at present they are tight.
  • (18) Liddle provokes to the brink of apoplexy, but he rarely conceals his views in insidious campaigns of rumour and scurrility.
  • (19) 6.36pm BST 77 min : De Sciglio booked for a scurrilous strategic foul aimed at aborting another Uruguay attack.
  • (20) These days it would be stretching it to suggest that Eastwood's range is quite that broad, his face seemingly fixed in a beatific beam, the sort of blissful countenance that once had him pegged in a scurrilous - and erroneous - piece of showbiz gossip as Stan Laurel's love child.