nefaste

Néfaste is a French adjective that describes something that causes harm, misfortune, or disaster. It is commonly used to characterize effects, actions, policies, or phenomena as harmful or deleterious. The term can also function as a noun, with the plural néfastes less common; as a noun it appears as un néfaste to mean a misfortune or calamity.

Etymology and form: néfaste derives from the Latin nefastus, formed from nefas “impiety, wrongdoing” and fas “divine law.” The French form emerged in Old French and has remained in modern usage. In ASCII texts, the word may appear without the diacritic as nefaste, but the standard spelling includes the accent: néfaste.

Usage: The word is formal and literary, often found in written discourse, science, politics, and journalism. Common collocations include effets néfastes, conséquences néfastes, période néfaste, and destin néfaste. It typically modifies nouns referring to harmful consequences, rather than describing people. In sentence use, one can say: “Les effets néfastes de la pollution persistent,” or “Ce choix s’est avéré néfaste.” As a noun, it can convey a sense of misfortune: “Ce fut un néfaste pour l’économie.”

Synonyms and contrasts: synonyms include nuisible, préjudiciable, dommageable, pernicieux, funeste. Néfastes contrasts with benefique/favorable, indicating the opposite of positive or beneficial outcomes.

See also: néfastité (quality of being néfaste), maléfique (more strongly supernatural or evil connotations).