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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
Charles Bramesco, Vulture, 10 Apr. 2025
But in a more pointed, diabolical way for this afternoon’s players, the sheer density of talent bunched just millimeters behind Pletcher’s River Thames approximates that of a black hole that very well can suck River Thames right down and out into oblivion.
—Guy Martin, Forbes.com, 8 Apr. 2025
The strangeness begins with that Godlike narrator, who flicks a diabolical tail.
—James Wood, New Yorker, 7 Apr. 2025
Being able to breach another crew's ship opens up a world of potential diabolical use cases for the game's various traps.
—Alan Bradley, Space.com, 5 Apr. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Diabolical.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/diabolical. Accessed 2 May. 2025.
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diabolical
adjective
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