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."
the police quickly mobilized to track down the diabolical criminals before they struck again
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They are set upon by one of Eudoxia’s five sons and his warband of mutant creatures – half-man, half-animal abominations created by the former Empress as part of her many diabolical experiments.—Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 17 May 2025 In his diabolical follow-up, a teacher (Julia Garner) becomes a community pariah after her entire class vanishes into the dead, the very dead, of night.—Randy Myers, Mercury News, 17 May 2025 And the diabolical green complexes, many of which are surrounded by bunkers and collection areas?—Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 May 2025 Who else can possibly prevent Ethan’s nemesis, Gabriel (Esai Morales), in his deluded attempts to master that diabolical gizmo?—Tom Gliatto, People.com, 14 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for diabolical
Word History
Etymology
diabolical from diabolic + -ical; diabolic going back to Middle English deabolik, borrowed from Middle French & Late Latin; Middle French dyabolique, borrowed from Late Latin diabolicus, borrowed from Late Greek diabolikós, going back to Greek, "slanderous," from diábolos "accuser, backbiter, slanderer" + -ikos-ic entry 1 — more at devil entry 1
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