diabolic

American  

[dahy-uh-bol-ik] / ˌdaɪ əˈbɒl ɪk /

adjective

1. variant of diabolical.

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diabolic British  

/ ˌdaɪəˈbɒlɪk /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or proceeding from the devil; satanic

2. befitting a devil; extremely cruel or wicked; fiendish

3. very difficult or unpleasant

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Other Word Forms

• diabolically adverb
• diabolicalness noun
• nondiabolic adjective

Etymology

Origin of diabolic

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English diabolik, from Middle French or directly from Late Latin diabolicus, from Greek diabolikós, equivalent to diábo(os) devil + -ikos -ic

Example Sentences

Thus far, it has been the only diabolic flicker he’s displayed.

From Salon • Jan. 28, 2026

Sheku Tarawallie, president of Sierra Leone's Council of Traditional Healers, is adamant that "diabolic" juju men like Kanu are giving healers a bad name.

From BBC • Nov. 23, 2025

Perhaps rattled by the setback, Woods may have made a mental mistake when he chose a 7-iron at the diabolic par-3 12th hole, which was playing into the stiff wind.

From New York Times • Apr. 8, 2022

To crown all, this imaginative anthology even makes room for Arthur Machen’s dizzyingly phantasmagoric “The White People,” and that chilling fairy tale of diabolic temptation, Lucy Clifford’s “The New Mother.”

From Washington Post • Feb. 23, 2021

But now, serene with Hoagland’s method, my memory is fantastic, near diabolic.

From "Native Speaker" by Chang-rae Lee