Synonyms of devilry

devilry

noun

ˈde-vᵊl-rē 

variants or deviltry

1

as in mischief

playful, reckless behavior that is not intended to cause serious harm

children always getting into some devilry

Synonyms & Similar Words

• mischief
• devilment
• playfulness
• mischievousness
• devilishness
• rascality
• wickedness
• roguery
• roguishness
• knavery
• impishness
• diablerie
• hob
• waggery
• waggishness
• naughtiness
• misconduct
• shenanigan(s)
• espièglerie
• trickery
• buffoonery
• misbehavior
• chicanery
• trick
• irritation
• tomfoolery
• troublemaking
• annoyance
• sportiveness
• exasperation
• monkeying
• friskiness
• goings-on
• hanky-panky
• skylarking
• horseplay
• monkey business
• high jinks
• caper
• antic
• diabolicalness
• practical joke
• roughhousing
• monkeyshine(s)
• aggravation
• dido

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• seriousness
• gravity
• solemnity
• gravitas
• solemnness

2

as in sorcery

the power to control natural forces through supernatural means

superstitious villagers who were quick to attribute an unexpected occurrence to devilry

Synonyms & Similar Words

• sorcery
• witchcraft
• magic
• wizardry
• witchery
• necromancy
• bewitchment
• conjuring
• thaumaturgy
• mojo
• enchantment
• diablerie
• voodooism
• bewitchery
• glamour
• divination
• talisman
• alchemy
• incantation
• curse
• ensorcellment
• spiritualism
• amulet
• occultism
• fetish
• conjuration
• spell
• charm
• divining
• mascot
• phylactery
• soothsaying
• jinx
• exorcism
• fortune-telling
• abracadabra
• forecasting
• omen
• prophesying
• foretelling
• sortilege
• crystal gazing
• foreseeing
• augury
• predicting
• hoodoo
• augur
• presaging
• periapt
• hex
• foreknowing
• prognosticating
• hexerei

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• science

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of devilry

Dancing spirits, dressed in Victorian-era garb, stir up devilry as the night unfolds. — Abby Hamblin, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Oct. 2025

If Michael Jackson moonwalked so that Prince could show us the face of God with his brain-melting 2007 set, the NFL’s reaction to Fox’s inspired bit of devilry set the stage for the league’s eventual takeover of the American psyche. — Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 17 Oct. 2025

Madcap technical devilry, along with a jestful sense of humor, embroiders the edges of his endlessly replayable mix. — Pitchfork, 30 Sep. 2025

Maybe, Nicholas comes to think, what bedevils him is not a medical condition—the sort of thing a physician can properly diagnose—but the devilry of Pan. — Scott Stossel, The Atlantic, 9 Sep. 2025

As shown in his previous films, Eggers’ sensibility has roots not in contemporary horror but in stories from centuries past that become vivid and febrile, alive with an insidious devilry that inches under your skin. — David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 2 Dec. 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

Shyamalan, to be fair, has lost none of his compositional devilry; notice his bisecting of the screen with clean vertical lines—the trunk of a tree, or the edge of a shower curtain, behind which somebody may or may not lurk. — Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 3 Feb. 2023