doloso

fraudulent, wilful (in law)

adjective doh-LOH-zoh Rare

Origin: From Latin 'dolosus', deceitful.

Usage Note

Doloso is a legal term meaning committed with dolo — that is, with criminal intent or wilful deceit. Incendio doloso is arson (fire set deliberately), as opposed to incendio colposo (fire caused by negligence). Learners should not confuse doloso with doloroso (painful); the two look similar but are completely unrelated.

Examples

"L'incendio è stato dichiarato doloso."

Natural Translation

The fire was declared arson.

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