Satan

American  

[seyt-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

Compare meaning

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

• Lucifer vs. Satan

Example Sentences

It reenacts the Prophet Abraham's stoning of the devil at three places where Satan is said to have tried to dissuade him from obeying God's command to sacrifice his son Ishmael.

From Barron's • May 27, 2026

AI chatbots such as Text With Jesus offer round-the-clock spiritual guidance and simulated conversations with anyone from Jesus to the apostles—and even Satan, with a premium subscription.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 14, 2026

In this reading, Satan resembles an elongated asteroid-sized object similar to the interstellar body Oumuamua, arriving with enough force to trigger a planetwide geological event.

From Science Daily • May 11, 2026

While showing Crowe the indoor swimming pool, Bowie remarks that the only problem with the house “is that Satan lives in that swimming pool.”

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 27, 2025

Satan breaks the silence: If thou beest he; But O how fall'll! how chang’d From him, who in the happy Realms of Light Cloth’d with transcendent brightness didst out-shine Myriads though bright...

From "Words Like Loaded Pistols" by Sam Leith