Satan

American  

[sayt-n] / ˈseɪt n /

noun

1. the chief evil spirit; the great adversary of humanity; the devil.

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Satan British  

/ ˈseɪtən /

noun

1. the devil, adversary of God, and tempter of mankind: sometimes identified with Lucifer (Luke 4:5–8)

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Satan Cultural  

1. The devil. In the Bible (see also Bible), Satan is identified with the tempter who encourages the fall of Adam and Eve; he is the accuser who torments Job in the hope that he will curse God; the one who offers Jesus all the kingdoms of the world if Jesus will worship him (see Get thee behind me, Satan); and the evil one who puts betrayal in the heart of Judas. Satan will one day be confined in hell, but until then he is free to roam the Earth.

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Satan has been depicted in many ways: as a man with horns, goat hooves, a pointed tail, a pointed beard, and a pitchfork; as a dragon; and sometimes as an angel with large batlike wings.

Satan is the power of darkness opposed to the light of Christ; he is thus sometimes referred to as the Prince of Darkness.

Etymology

Origin of Satan

before 900; Middle English, Old English < Late Latin < Greek Satân, Satán < Hebrew śātān adversary

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Compare meaning

How does satan compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• Lucifer vs. Satan

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Satan

But Milton liberated Satan by sending him to Hell.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026

"If a power acts like Satan, picks targets like Satan, and kills like Satan, it's Satan," he posted on X.

From Barron's ● Sep. 2, 2026

In this interpretation, Satan is treated not as a symbolic figure alone, but as a physical impactor that remained whole while permanently altering Earth's structure.

From Science Daily ● May 11, 2026

“South Park” has previously depicted Satan as being the victim in an abusive relationship with Saddam Hussein.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2025

Milton wasn’t the only writer in history to give Satan the rhetorical chops he deserves.

From "Words Like Loaded Pistols" by Sam Leith

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