adjective
-
of, relating to, or characteristic of a demon; fiendish
-
inspired or possessed by a demon, or seemingly so
demonic laughter
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of demonic
1655–65; < Late Latin daemonicus < Greek daimonikós, equivalent to daimon- demon- + -ikos -ic
Explanation
Demonic is a word to describe behavior or people who are extremely evil or cruel. It helps to understand this word if you know a demon is a creature of hell. Demonic has that same kind of hellish, diabolical, fiendish, infernal, satanic, unholy quality. This word should not be used lightly. Stealing a candy bar, though wrong, is not demonic. Truly evil behavior, like being a serial killer, is more likely to be described as demonic. In superhero movies, the supervillains are likely to be demonic, since they are more evil than common storybook villains.
Vocabulary lists containing demonic
"What Is the Horror Genre?" Vocabulary from the literary criticism
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Evil
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Using the soul of the Demonic Forest Spirit, the ancient crow had hoped to open the door, but since that didn’t work, it offers you a bargain.
From Washington Post • Jul. 30, 2021
Vanessa Angel: I’m not known as a “scream queen,” but I have done some horror movies: “Puppet Master vs. Demonic Toys,” “Sabretooth,” “Monster Night” and “Warriors of Witchcraft.”
From Washington Times • Nov. 2, 2016
Hersey’s purple version is very obviously based on Caselli’s painting, and I’m 99% certain that the other Demonic images out there are based on his painting too.
From Scientific American • Aug. 20, 2013
And that’s not the only difference between Demonic Resurrection and their musical forebears.
From New York Times • Apr. 11, 2012
Demonic was easier to speak than to read.
From "Dragonwings" by Laurence Yep
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
