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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of diabolical
As for why the vote in congressional races has tended to shift in Democrats’ favor, there’s a simple, non-diabolical explanation.
—
Mark Z. Barabak, Mercury News, 18 Feb. 2026
Dracula is the most well-trod of the three novels, its diabolical villain forever refusing to lie down and die.
—Demetrios Matheou, HollywoodReporter, 18 Feb. 2026
As for why the vote in congressional races has tended to shift in Democrats’ favor, there’s a simple, non-diabolical explanation.
—Los Angeles Times, 11 Feb. 2026
My deep cynicism thinks this was a diabolical plan to herd young people toward expensive, and somewhat useless, college degrees.
—Tim Carter, Hartford Courant, 31 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for diabolical
Mark Z. Barabak, Mercury News, 18 Feb. 2026
Dracula is the most well-trod of the three novels, its diabolical villain forever refusing to lie down and die.
—Demetrios Matheou, HollywoodReporter, 18 Feb. 2026
As for why the vote in congressional races has tended to shift in Democrats’ favor, there’s a simple, non-diabolical explanation.
—Los Angeles Times, 11 Feb. 2026
My deep cynicism thinks this was a diabolical plan to herd young people toward expensive, and somewhat useless, college degrees.
—Tim Carter, Hartford Courant, 31 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for diabolical
Recent Examples of Synonyms for diabolical
Adjective
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Part of the ensemble stands supernaturally perched over this crimson room, elevated, like a biblical cloud of witnesses gathered to watch the beginning of this slightly demonic fable.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
27 Feb. 2026
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There are bodily fluids, jeering crowds, and demonic Punch and Judy puppets applauding through the chaos, giving the scene the air of a demented fairy tale.—
Radhika Seth,
Vogue,
9 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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The murders themselves are obviously very sinister, but the circumstances surrounding them undermine the show’s drama and lean toward the absurd.—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
3 Mar. 2026
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But the updraft that struck Flight SQ321 was of a more sinister sort.—
Burkhard Bilger,
New Yorker,
2 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The attack also bears similarities to the tactics of a Russian bad actor group that targeted Russian Wiki pages years ago, suggesting the malicious Javascript originated from a much earlier vandalism campaign.—
Michael Kan,
PC Magazine,
5 Mar. 2026
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In testimony Tuesday, Jared Birchall, Musk’s longtime business manager and confidante, said that his boss’s tweets four years ago were prompted by frustration, and not a malicious effort to sink the stock.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
5 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Diabolical.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/diabolical. Accessed 9 Mar. 2026.
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