nēquam

1. Malitia denotes the baseness which shows itself in the love of lying and deceiving, from want of conscience; malignitas, the ill-will which grudges good to another, and wishes it only to itself, from pure selfishness; malevolentia, the ill-will which wishes evil to another rather than good, from personal aversion. Malitia is a way of thinking and acting deserving of punishment as endangering the security of society; malignitas is a despicable disposition, which implies the want of philanthropy; lastly, malevolentia, a detestable quality, as connected with deriving pleasure from the misfortunes of others. 2. Malus homo is a morally bad man, but nequam a good-for-nothing man, whose faultiness shows itself in aversion to useful labor, and a propensity to roguish tricks, in opp. to frugi. Plaut. Pseud, i. 5. 53. Cic. Font. 13. Or. ii. 61. Fin. ii. 8. Sen. Contr. iii. 21; pravus (πέραῖος) a man whose character has taken a vicious direction, in a physical, or intellectual, or moral point of view in opp. to rectus. Plaut. Bacch. iii. 3, 8. Cic. Fin. ii. 8. Acad. i. 10. Quintil. viii. 3, 48. Nec parricidam nequam dixeris hominem, nec meretrici forte deditum nefarium; quod alterum parum, alterum nimium est. Afric. ap. Gell. vii. 11. (i. 62.)