-ious

of the nature of

Usage

  • imperious

    Someone who is imperious behaves in a proud, overbearing, and highly confident manner that shows they expect to be obeyed without question.

  • vicarious

    A vicarious pleasure or feeling is experienced by watching or reading about another person's doing something rather than by doing it yourself.

  • specious

    Something that is specious seems to be good, sound, or correct but is actually wrong or fake.

  • invidious

    An action is invidious when it is done with the intention of creating harm or producing envy or hatred in others.

  • officious

    An officious person acts in a self-important manner; therefore, they are very eager to offer unwanted advice or services—which makes them annoying.

  • pernicious

    Something that is pernicious is very harmful or evil, often in a way that is hidden or not quickly noticed.

  • captious

    A captious person has a fondness for catching others at fault; hence, they are overly critical and raise unwarranted objections too often.

  • sagacious

    A sagacious person is wise, intelligent, and has the ability to make good practical decisions.

  • commodious

    A commodious room or house is large and roomy, which makes it convenient and highly suitable for living.

  • nefarious

    A nefarious activity is considered evil and highly dishonest.

  • noxious

    Something that is noxious is harmful, extremely unpleasant, and often poisonous.

  • perfidious

    Someone who is perfidious is not loyal and cannot be trusted.

  • deleterious

    Something that is deleterious has a harmful effect.

  • obsequious

    If someone is being obsequious, they are trying so hard to please someone that they lack sincerity in their actions towards that person.

  • contentious

    When someone is contentious, they are argumentative and likely to provoke a fight.

  • lugubrious

    If someone is lugubrious, they are looking very sad or gloomy.

  • multifarious

    Something that is multifarious is made up of many kinds of different things.

  • oblivious

    If you are oblivious to something that is happening, you do not notice it.

  • usurious

    Usurious loans are made with a high interest rate.

  • auspicious

    The adjective auspicious describes a positive beginning of something, such as a new business, or a certain time that looks to have a good chance of success or prosperity.

  • precarious

    A precarious situation or state can very quickly become dangerous without warning.

  • bilious

    Someone who has a bilious personality is highly irritable and bad-tempered.

  • meretricious

    Something meretricious seems good and useful; in fact, it’s just showy and does not have much value at all.

  • audacious

    An audacious person acts with great daring and sometimes reckless bravery—despite risks and warnings from other people—in order to achieve something.

  • tendentious

    Someone who is tendentious is biased in their perceptions and opinions.

  • prodigious

    Something that is prodigious is very large, impressive, or great.

  • capricious

    Someone who is capricious changes their mind repeatedly or behaves in unexpected ways; a capricious series of events follows no predictable pattern.

  • egregious

    An egregious mistake, failure, or problem is an extremely bad and very noticeable one.

  • precocious

    A precocious child shows advanced intelligence or skill at an unusually young age.

  • facetious

    Someone who is being facetious says things they intend to be funny but are nevertheless out of place.

  • insidious

    Something that is insidious is dangerous because it seems harmless or not important; nevertheless, over time it gradually develops the capacity to cause harm and damage.

  • gregarious

    A gregarious person is friendly, highly social, and prefers being with people rather than being alone.

  • odious

    If you describe people or things as odious, you think that they are extremely unpleasant.

  • salubrious

    A salubrious place or area is pleasant, clean, healthy, and comfortable to live in.

  • laborious

    A laborious job or process takes a long time, requires a lot of effort, and is often boring.

  • factious

    A small group or issue that is factious is controversial and promotes strong disagreement or dissatisfaction within a larger group.

  • punctilious

    To be punctilious is to pay precise attention to detail.

  • fractious

    If someone is fractious, they are easily upset or annoyed over unimportant things.

  • abstemious

    Someone who is abstemious avoids doing too much of something enjoyable, such as eating or drinking; rather, they consume in a moderate fashion.

  • ostentatious

    If you describe an action as ostentatious, you think it is an extreme and exaggerated way of impressing people.

  • conscientious

    When someone is conscientious in performing a task, they do it in a thorough and careful fashion to make sure that it is completely done.

  • harmonious

    When two people are in a harmonious state, they are in agreement with each other; when a sound is harmonious, it is pleasant or agreeable to the ear.

  • illustrious

    Someone who has had an illustrious professional career is celebrated and outstanding in their given field of expertise.

  • judicious

    A person who is judicious shows good or sound judgment because they are wise and careful in making a decision.

  • meritorious

    Someone who is meritorious is worthy of receiving recognition or is praiseworthy because of what they have accomplished.

  • notorious

    A notorious person is well-known by the public at large; they are usually famous for doing something bad.

  • sacrilegious

    A sacrilegious act is one of deep disrespect that violates something that is sacred or holy.

  • pretentious

    If you are pretentious, you think you are really great in some way and let everyone know about it, despite the fact that it's not the case at all.

  • atrocious

    An atrocious deed is outrageously bad, extremely evil, or shocking in its wrongness.

  • rambunctious

    Rambunctious conduct is wild, unruly, very active, and sometimes hard to control.

  • spacious

    Something that is spacious, such as a building, has plenty of room in it.

  • uxorious

    If a man is uxorious, he is excessively and irrationally devoted and submissive to his wife.

  • cautious

    If you are cautious, you are very careful and aware about what you are doing because you fear that something bad will happen if you aren't paying attention.

  • furious

    When you are furious, you are extremely angry or really mad.

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