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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
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
-
Mercy Culture’s pastors hung a candidate’s banner behind the pulpit, endorsed politicians during Sunday services, said that people who vote for Democrats weren’t truly Christian, and described Kamala Harris as a demonic Jezebel taking the form of a snake encircling the White House.—
Rachel Monroe,
New Yorker,
15 Mar. 2026
-
However, when their biggest demonic enemy (Lee Byung-hun) encourages the formation of an equally popular K-pop boy band aimed at stealing the souls of their fans, the trio has to fight harder than ever to hold the demons at bay while keeping their friendship intact.—
Destiny Jackson,
Deadline,
15 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
McTeigue created subtle variations on the mask so that V could look slightly more sinister or benevolent depending on the lighting.—
Matthew Huff,
IndieWire,
17 Mar. 2026
-
Iliopoulos demonstrates once again how the unwillingness of political authorities to respect an international treaty transforms both the native population and the newcomers into hostages of a sinister and clumsy social engineering project.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
15 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
In reality, the messages are loaded with a malicious attachment.—
Michael Kan,
PC Magazine,
11 Mar. 2026
-
Jason Hughes Many who left comments on the petition emphasized that Hughes' death did not come out of a malicious act and that the teenagers will have to live with the death for the rest of their lives.—
Maya Rosenberg,
NBC news,
11 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Diabolical.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/diabolical. Accessed 19 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
