devilish
adjective
Did you know?
In the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Old Testament, Satan is usually referred to as diabolos or “slanderer” (from the Greek verb diaballein, “to slander,” literally “to throw across”). But in the Greek New Testament, the Hebrew word, which is Satanas or Satan in its Greek form, is used as if it were the devil’s proper name. The older Latin translations of the Bible retain Greek diabolos as diabolus, but St. Jerome’s version, the Vulgate, calls the devil Satan. Both words were borrowed into Old English, and we now call this figure both Satan and the Devil. The derived form devilish first appears in the 15th century.
Synonyms
Examples of devilish in a Sentence
Grace Tucker, The Enquirer, 13 Nov. 2024
Jonathan is a mild-mannered, sweet-as-pie victim and Catherine is a devilish cougar, preying on a young man just trying to backpack through Europe.
—Kelly Lawler, USA TODAY, 11 Nov. 2024
The Jonas Åkerlund video, too, is among Gaga’s freakiest, featuring exploding cars, neon-country dance sequences, and her playfully devilish expressions.
—Kristen S. Hé, Vulture, 25 Oct. 2024
Hyman and his team also concocted a devilish backstory for Tony to explain some of his ostentatious wealth.
—Mark Peikert, IndieWire, 29 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for devilish 
Articles Related to devilish
Dictionary Entries Near devilish
Cite this Entry
“Devilish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/devilish. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
devilish
adjective
Share