variants
or diabolic
as in demonic
of, relating to, or worthy of an evil spirit
the police quickly mobilized to track down the diabolical criminals before they struck again
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of diabolical
The 2026 Oscar nominations brought a ton of gasp-inducing moments—shocking inclusions, diabolical omissions, and plenty of tea leaves to read for awards season prognosticators.
—
Radhika Seth, Vogue, 22 Jan. 2026
Violet McGraw, known for playing the titular role in the M3GAN franchise, is set to lead a YA comedy feature in which her character is similarly protective of those close to her but in a slightly less diabolical way.
—Ryan Gajewski, HollywoodReporter, 15 Jan. 2026
But the harder the novice looks — and the greater the chaos inside them longing for order, even of a diabolical nature — the more clearly the horror will appear.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 9 Jan. 2026
The federal government right now is diabolical.
—Mara H. Gottfried, Twin Cities, 9 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for diabolical
Radhika Seth, Vogue, 22 Jan. 2026
Violet McGraw, known for playing the titular role in the M3GAN franchise, is set to lead a YA comedy feature in which her character is similarly protective of those close to her but in a slightly less diabolical way.
—Ryan Gajewski, HollywoodReporter, 15 Jan. 2026
But the harder the novice looks — and the greater the chaos inside them longing for order, even of a diabolical nature — the more clearly the horror will appear.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 9 Jan. 2026
The federal government right now is diabolical.
—Mara H. Gottfried, Twin Cities, 9 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for diabolical
Recent Examples of Synonyms for diabolical
Adjective
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The original Exorcist, based on the novel by William Peter Blatty and directed by William Friedkin, focused on the demonic possession of a young girl and the priests that try to save her.—
Borys Kit,
HollywoodReporter,
4 Feb. 2026
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Clive Barker's adaptation of his own novella, The Hellbound Heart, introduced us to one of the scariest cinematic baddies, Pinhead, leader of a group of sadomasochistic demonic beings who are summoned by humans either accidentally or in pursuit of pleasures of their own.—
Kevin Jacobsen,
Entertainment Weekly,
31 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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One of them has fashioned a sinister balaclava out of his cap and neck gaiter.—
Jessica Winter,
New Yorker,
31 Jan. 2026
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While the visual effect can be startling, there is nothing sinister at play.—
Ahmad Bajjey,
CBS News,
30 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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The Russian general was one of several GRU officials sanctioned by the United States in 2016 for wide-ranging malicious cyber activity directed at undermining US democratic processes.—
Anna Chernova,
CNN Money,
6 Feb. 2026
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The best way to safeguard yourself from malicious links that install malware, potentially accessing your private information, is to have strong antivirus software installed on all your devices.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
5 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Diabolical.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/diabolical. Accessed 8 Feb. 2026.
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