satanic
Americanadjective
-
of or relating to Satan
-
supremely evil or wicked; diabolic
Other Word Forms
- satanically adverb
- satanicalness noun
- unsatanic adjective
- unsatanical adjective
- unsatanically adverb
Etymology
Origin of satanic
First recorded in 1540–50; Satan + -ic ( def. )
Explanation
Satanic things are very bad or evil. You might describe your math teacher's pop quizzes as satanic, but that would be a bit of an exaggeration. The very first recorded use of the adjective satanic was in John Milton's 1667 epic poem "Paradise Lost," where it literally described things having to do with Satan, or the devil. Some people continue to use satanic to describe things they associate with hell or the devil, while many others use it as a synonym for "cruel" or "evil." The Hebrew root, satan, means "to oppose or plot against."
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.
The 1980s, during his own youth, was the heyday for conspiracy theories about satanic cults sacrificing children, Uscinski noted.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 7, 2026
Erica Portnoy, a senior staff technologist at EFF, argues that “social media is just today’s satanic panic.”
From Salon • Feb. 11, 2026
She did not, however, repeat her claims about contract killers or satanic cults, and the prosecutor did not ask her about these things.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 18, 2024
This trio works for the Roman Catholic Church to determine whether various strange goings-on are the result of satanic forces or more mundane phenomena.
From New York Times • May 20, 2024
A recent bestseller advocated “zero tolerance” for errors and brandished the words horror, satanic, ghastly, and plummeting standards on its first page.
From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker
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.
