Definition of DIABOLIC

Other Words from diabolical

diabolically \ ˌdī-ə-ˈbä-li-k(ə-)lē

\ adverb

diabolicalness \ ˌdī-ə-ˈbä-li-kəl-nəs

\ noun

Did You Know?

Like the word devil, "diabolical" traces back to Latin diabolus, which itself descends from Greek diabolos, a word that literally means "slanderer." In English, "diabolical" has many nuances of meaning. It can describe the devil himself (as in "my diabolical visitor") or anything related to or characteristic of him in appearance, behavior, or thought; examples include "diabolical lore," "a diabolical grin," and "a diabolical plot." In British slang, "diabolical" can also mean "disgraceful" or "bad," as in "the food was diabolical."

Examples of diabolical in a Sentence

the police quickly mobilized to track down the diabolical serial killer

Recent Examples on the Web

The tech future we were promised was finally here: instant, real-time video conversations, just like the diabolical villains in every science fiction movie ever. — Jason Gay, WSJ, "My Kids Are Lousy at Video Chat, But They Love to Hang Up on Me," 20 July 2018 As a local magistrate and civic leader, Corwin was called upon to investigate the claims of diabolical activity when a surge of witchcraft accusations arose in Salem and neighboring communities. — Sienna Fantozzi, House Beautiful, "You Can Now Live In A Replica Of The Salem Witch House," 31 Oct. 2018 In large part, the carnage was the diabolical work of the book’s villain: Rear Adm. Sanji Iwabuchi, who commanded 17,000 marines and soldiers in charge of destroying Manila’s harbor and bridges before evacuating. — Jonathan W. Jordan, WSJ, "‘Rampage’ Review: MacArthur’s Bloody Promise," 25 Oct. 2018 This process never ends, as the diabolical nonlinear term keeps generating higher-order correlations. — Lee Phillips, Ars Technica, "Turbulence, the oldest unsolved problem in physics," 10 Oct. 2018 Anselmo rises above the din with croaking, diabolical vocals. — Matt Schudel, Washington Post, "Vinnie Paul, hard-hitting drummer for heavy metal band Pantera, dies at 54," 23 June 2018 USA TODAY Sports There is no horse for the diabolical Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass. — Steve Dimeglio, USA TODAY, "Players Championship: Here's our pick to win PGA Tour's flagship event," 9 May 2018 Grand dames like Merion, Pinehurst and Shinny were born with penal rough, tricky routes and, most significantly, diabolical greens. — Marcus Hayes, Philly.com, "Phil Mickelson, Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth collapse at U.S. Open," 14 June 2018 The final expression on her hooded face is diabolical and unreadable. — Rena Gross, Billboard, "'The Handmaid's Tale': Season 2, Episode 13 Recap: 19 Startling Moments in 'The Word'," 11 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'diabolical.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.