variants
or deviltry
1
as in mischief
playful, reckless behavior that is not intended to cause serious harm
children always getting into some devilry
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in witchcraft
the power to control natural forces through supernatural means
superstitious villagers who were quick to attribute an unexpected occurrence to devilry
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of devilry
That’s enough devilry to explain at least much of Haiti’s challenges without resorting to tales of satanic influence.
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Matthew Brown, Washington Post, 24 Mar. 2024
Shyamalan, to be fair, has lost none of his compositional devilry; notice his bisecting of the screen with clean vertical lines—the trunk of a tree, or the edge of a shower curtain, behind which somebody may or may not lurk.
—Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 3 Feb. 2023
Who are the sword and sorcery protagonists that scratch your itch for devilry and adventure?
—Washington Post, 18 Sep. 2021
Suddenly, modernists were jockeying to impose some glass-and-steel devilry atop the old dame.
—Shawn McCreesh, Curbed, 17 Aug. 2021
Before long, the angry and injured young wife is the one on trial for witchcraft — fighting for her life as the apparent evidence of devilry accrues.
—BostonGlobe.com, 6 May 2021
Aboard the ship, mysterious devilry begins to take place and a demon is suspected to be behind it.
—Kami Phillips, CNN Underscored, 8 Oct. 2020
The mildly disastrous consequences of Eddie’s devilry predictably set up the big moment at the end of the show in which Ward or June Cleaver would distill an important Life Lesson from the experience.
—Paul Farhi, Washington Post, 19 May 2020
These winged insects pollinate plants, inspire funny memes, and rule the night like fluttery little kings, felled only by the devilry of porch lights masquerading as the moon.
—Sarah Todd, Quartz at Work, 23 Oct. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for devilry
Noun
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Trick-or-treating did attract the youngest, but older kids continued making mischief.Jeff Suess, The Enquirer, 28 Nov. 2024
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There are all these shots of them making mischief on the train from New York to Washington.Kim Willis, USA TODAY, 27 Nov. 2024
Noun
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The neo-Pagan and Satanist has been practicing Eclectic witchcraft, an omnivorous tradition that blends numerous magical and spiritual approaches, for over a decade.Emma Cieslik, Them, 1 Nov. 2024
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This silent faux-documentary chronicles the sociological phenomenon of witchcraft from the Middle Ages to the modern age.Clark Collis, EW.com, 18 Oct. 2024
Noun
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However, the Nets‘ shorthanded sorcery was nullified in Friday’s 123-100 loss to the Orlando Magic at Barclays Center.C.J. Holmes, New York Daily News, 29 Nov. 2024
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When tragedies happen in Papua New Guinea, accusations of sorcery often follow — bringing violence in their wake.David Leonhardt, New York Times, 24 Nov. 2024
Noun
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Continuing to work his magic, the artist has created over 100 coveted NFT artworks of global icons such as Jane Goodall, Andy Warhol, David Bowie, Salvador Dali and others, including his whimsical collection of Toy Rooms and Toy Birds, which carry (and evoke) similar emotions of nostalgia.Sonya Rehman, Forbes, 1 Dec. 2024
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Arizona Republic With a little holiday magic, children will have numerous chances to see Santa Claus in metro Phoenix before Christmas Day.Michael Salerno, The Arizona Republic, 30 Nov. 2024
Noun
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Begin your journey with a handwritten note to Santa, or experience the enchantment of sugar plum fairies and gingerbread delights in a sugary dreamscape.Roger Sands, Forbes, 2 Dec. 2024
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The world of the film is staggeringly beautiful, creating an oversize forest of enchantment and menace, capable of shifting from heavenly idyll in one scene to Grimm fairy tale in the next.Scott Tobias, Vulture, 20 Nov. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near devilry
Cite this Entry
“Devilry.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/devilry. Accessed 11 Dec. 2024.
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