adjective
- Showing the cunning or ingenuity or wickedness typical of a devil.
- usage: "devilish schemes"; "the cold calculation and diabolic art of some statesmen"; "the diabolical expression on his face"; "a mephistophelian glint in his eye"
- synonyms: devilish, diabolical, mephistophelian, mephistophelean
- Extremely evil or cruel; expressive of cruelty or befitting hell.
- usage: "something demonic in him-something that could be cruel"; "fires lit up a diabolic scene"; "diabolical sorcerers under the influence of devils"; "a fiendish despot"; "hellish torture"; "infernal instruments of war"; "satanic cruelty"; "unholy grimaces"
WordNet 3.0 © 2006 by Princeton University
| APA | WordNet. (2010). diabolic. Retrieved September 22, 2026, from http://smartdefine.org/diabolic/definitions/1172365 |
| Chicago | WordNet. 2010. "diabolic" http://smartdefine.org/diabolic/definitions/1172365 (accessed September 22, 2026). |
| Harvard | WordNet 2010, diabolic, Smart Define, viewed 22 September, 2026, <http://smartdefine.org/diabolic/definitions/1172365>. |
| MLA | WordNet. "diabolic" 23 October 2010. Web. 22 September 2026. <http://smartdefine.org/diabolic/definitions/1172365> |