satanic
adjective
sa·tan·ic
sə-ˈta-nik 
sā-
1
: of, relating to, or characteristic of Satan or satanism
satanic pride
satanic rites
2
: characterized by extreme cruelty or viciousness
Synonyms
Examples of satanic in a Sentence
the cat's eyes reflected a satanic red in the dark
Recent Examples on the Web
This faction of the far-right, which views liberals as satanic and demonic, represents a radical and dangerous movement that shouldn’t really be described as Christian, Phillips said.
—
Will Carless, USA TODAY, 7 Mar. 2024
Several states passed similar laws in the 1980s and ’90s, during the height of hysteria over satanic ritual abuse, but few, if any, prosecutions came from them.
—Brandy Zadrozny, NBC News, 23 Feb. 2024
That’s enough devilry to explain at least much of Haiti’s challenges without resorting to tales of satanic influence.
—Matthew Brown, Washington Post, 24 Mar. 2024
Her greatest strength, as demonstrated in Euphoria and now in Immaculate, lies in communicating very big, broad emotions—crying, screaming, staring agog at the kind of satanic chaos that shakes the spirit of God’s most devoted servants.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 22 Mar. 2024
Daniel, who’s playing teenage Jason and his satanic sock puppet Tyrone, has been a longtime puppeteer.
—David L. Coddon, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Mar. 2024
Koen has appeared on dozens of podcasts over the years to tell her story: that she was tortured and forced to participate in human sacrifice as part of satanic cult rituals led by family members, neighbors and church leaders.
—Brandy Zadrozny, NBC News, 23 Feb. 2024
The movie starred Fox as a popular high school teen possessed by a demon after a satanic ritual sacrifice gone wrong, and Seyfried as her best friend who tries to stop her rampage against teenage boys.
—Jessica Wang, EW.com, 2 Feb. 2024
There's enough going on in the first Hell House to occupy your supernatural curiosity, and that's before the rumors and suspicions of satanic cult activity come into play.
—EW.com, 19 Dec. 2023
Will Carless, USA TODAY, 7 Mar. 2024
Several states passed similar laws in the 1980s and ’90s, during the height of hysteria over satanic ritual abuse, but few, if any, prosecutions came from them.
—Brandy Zadrozny, NBC News, 23 Feb. 2024
That’s enough devilry to explain at least much of Haiti’s challenges without resorting to tales of satanic influence.
—Matthew Brown, Washington Post, 24 Mar. 2024
Her greatest strength, as demonstrated in Euphoria and now in Immaculate, lies in communicating very big, broad emotions—crying, screaming, staring agog at the kind of satanic chaos that shakes the spirit of God’s most devoted servants.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 22 Mar. 2024
Daniel, who’s playing teenage Jason and his satanic sock puppet Tyrone, has been a longtime puppeteer.
—David L. Coddon, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Mar. 2024
Koen has appeared on dozens of podcasts over the years to tell her story: that she was tortured and forced to participate in human sacrifice as part of satanic cult rituals led by family members, neighbors and church leaders.
—Brandy Zadrozny, NBC News, 23 Feb. 2024
The movie starred Fox as a popular high school teen possessed by a demon after a satanic ritual sacrifice gone wrong, and Seyfried as her best friend who tries to stop her rampage against teenage boys.
—Jessica Wang, EW.com, 2 Feb. 2024
There's enough going on in the first Hell House to occupy your supernatural curiosity, and that's before the rumors and suspicions of satanic cult activity come into play.
—EW.com, 19 Dec. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'satanic.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1544, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Dictionary Entries Near satanic
Cite this Entry
“Satanic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/satanic. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy Citation
More from Merriam-Webster on satanic
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share