variants
or diabolic
as in demonic
of, relating to, or worthy of an evil spirit
the police quickly mobilized to track down the diabolical criminals before they struck again
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of diabolical
How dare Netflix make such a diabolical announcement on a random Tuesday in March.
—
Elizabeth Logan, Glamour, 24 Mar. 2026
Samara Weaving and Kathryn Newton star in the movie as sisters who attempt to survive another diabolical game of hide-and-seek.
—Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 22 Mar. 2026
The death of medieval theocratic dictator of Iran Ayatollah Khamenei--a diabolical fanatic who pursued nuclear weapons--is a moment of celebration.
—Arkansas Online, 3 Mar. 2026
And in the end, it was proven that diabolical deception really can take you far, as Traitor Rob Rausch was crowned the sole winner.
—Jodi Guglielmi, Rolling Stone, 26 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for diabolical
Elizabeth Logan, Glamour, 24 Mar. 2026
Samara Weaving and Kathryn Newton star in the movie as sisters who attempt to survive another diabolical game of hide-and-seek.
—Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 22 Mar. 2026
The death of medieval theocratic dictator of Iran Ayatollah Khamenei--a diabolical fanatic who pursued nuclear weapons--is a moment of celebration.
—Arkansas Online, 3 Mar. 2026
And in the end, it was proven that diabolical deception really can take you far, as Traitor Rob Rausch was crowned the sole winner.
—Jodi Guglielmi, Rolling Stone, 26 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for diabolical
Recent Examples of Synonyms for diabolical
Adjective
-
For the priests, this was a case of demonic possession due to witch-craft, and Mary’s crabby, aloof neighbor Elizabeth Jackson was the prime witch suspect.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Then the adult-centric interactive play gets demented — a bit demonic, even.—
Arts Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Upending age-old narrative traditions, Paul’s heroism takes a sinister turn when Herbert reveals that the Bene Gesserit, an Illuminati-like secretive order of psychic matriarchs, has long been conditioning the Fremen to expect the arrival of a messiah, or mahdi, in their native tongue.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
29 Apr. 2026
-
This advertised butt jokes, campy fight montages and sinister Seth Rogen laughs.—
Clare Mulroy,
USA Today,
28 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The 31-year-old man was charged Wednesday with malicious destruction of property and possessing substances to operate a meth lab.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Court records show that 31-year-old Xin Tong was charged with malicious destruction of a building over $20,000 and operating/maintaining a lab involving methamphetamine.—
DeJanay Booth-Singleton,
CBS News,
30 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Diabolical.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/diabolical. Accessed 3 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
