-ious

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 judicious person shows good or sound judgment because they are wise and careful in making decisions.

• 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

  A cautious person is very careful and aware so that nothing bad will happen to them.

• furious

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

• ambitious

  having a strong desire for success or achievement

• censorious

  harshly critical or expressing censure

• malicious

  having the nature of or resulting from malice

• nutritious

  of or providing nourishment

• religious

  of or relating to clergy bound by monastic vows