diabolic

or di·a·bol·i·cal

[ dahy-uh-bol-ik or dahy-uh-bol-i-kuh l ]

/ ˌdaɪ əˈbɒl ɪk or ˌdaɪ əˈbɒl ɪ kəl /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR diabolic ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

having the qualities of a devil; devilish; fiendish; outrageously wicked: a diabolic plot.

pertaining to or actuated by a devil.

Nearby words

Origin of diabolic

1350–1400; Middle English diabolik (< Middle French) < Late Latin diabolicus < Greek diabolikós, equivalent to diábol(os) devil + -ikos -ic

Related forms

di·a·bol·i·cal·ly, adverbdi·a·bol·i·cal·ness, nounhy·per·di·a·bol·i·cal, adjectivehy·per·di·a·bol·i·cal·ly, adverb

hy·per·di·a·bol·i·cal·ness, nounnon·di·a·bol·ic, adjectivenon·di·a·bol·i·cal, adjectivenon·di·a·bol·i·cal·ly, adverbnon·di·a·bol·i·cal·ness, nounsu·per·di·a·bol·i·cal, adjectivesu·per·di·a·bol·i·cal·ly, adverbsu·per·di·a·bol·i·cal·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for diabolical

At some point, show creator Mark Burnett made the diabolical decision to extend the show to 120 minutes.
Donald Trump Fires Woman For Not Calling Bill Cosby|Jack Holmes, The Daily Beast Video|January 5, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Sharry blames a “diabolical marketing scheme” by smugglers that led to a sudden doubling of the numbers.
The White House’s Woman in the Immigration Crosshairs|Eleanor Clift|July 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The most diabolical gift you can give a grad is my book How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big.
10 Terrible Gift Ideas for Graduates From Dilbert Creator Scott Adams|Scott Adams|May 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Park did his best to rescue the diabolical concoction from absurdity.
What Asian Film Remakes Like ‘Oldboy’ Get Wrong|Jimmy So|November 26, 2013|DAILY BEAST

Meet the diabolical family-like group who runs one of the biggest—and most frightening—haunted houses in America.
The House of Shock Is Terrifying Its Guests and Causing Controversy—and the Zombies Who Run the Show Are Loving It|Tyler Gillespie|October 25, 2013|DAILY BEAST
It was quite clear that he could not endure the thought of being "swung" for his diabolical deed.
Anderson Crow, Detective|George Barr McCutcheon
But that was only reckoned fresh evidence of her diabolical power.
Curious, if True|Elizabeth Gaskell
Somnambulism is, with Luther, the result of diabolical agency.
German Culture Past and Present|Ernest Belfort Bax
The stranger said nothing, but his eye looked a diabolical suggestion.
The Story of a Mine|Bret Harte
He shows a diabolical cunning in the manufacture of his weapons.
The Great White Tribe in Filipinia|Paul T. Gilbert

British Dictionary definitions for diabolical

diabolical

/ (ˌdaɪəˈbɒlɪkəl) /

adjective informal

excruciatingly bad; outrageous

(intensifier)a diabolical liberty

Derived Formsdiabolically, adverbdiabolicalness, noun

diabolic

/ (ˌdaɪəˈbɒlɪk) /

adjective

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

befitting a devil; extremely cruel or wicked; fiendish

very difficult or unpleasant

Derived Formsdiabolically, adverbdiabolicalness, noun

Word Origin for diabolic

C14: from Late Latin diabolicus, from Greek diabolikos, from diabolos devil

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for diabolical

diabolical

adj.

c.1500, "pertaining to the devil," from diabolic + -al (1). Meaning "befitting the devil" is from 1540s. Related: Diabolically.

diabolic

adj.

late 14c., from Old French diabolique (13c.), from Late Latin diabolicus, from Ecclesiastical Greek diabolikos "devilish," from diabolos (see devil (n.)).