diabolic

See also: diabòlic

English

Alternative forms

• diabolick (obsolete)

Etymology

First attested between 1350 and 1400 from Middle English diabolik, from Middle French diabolique, from Late Latin diabolicus, from Ancient Greek διαβολικός (diabolikós, “devilish”), from διάβολος (diábolos, “devil”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˌdaɪəˈbɒlɪk/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

Adjective

diabolic (comparative more diabolic, superlative most diabolic)

1. Showing wickedness typical of a devil.
   • 1936, Rollo Ahmed, The Black Art, London: Long, page 259:

     "The Sovereign Council of Wisdom," or the Order of Palladium, founded in Paris, was a diabolic order claiming masonic origin.

   diabolic magic square

   a cunning and diabolic plot

2. Extremely evil or cruel.

   fires lit up a diabolic scene

Synonyms

• devilish, mephistophelian, mephistophelean
• demonic, fiendish, hellish, infernal, satanic, unholy

Derived terms

• diabolical
• nondiabolic

 

Translations

showing wickedness typical of a devil

• Bulgarian: дяволски (bg) (djavolski), сатанински (bg) (sataninski)
• Czech: ďábelský (cs)
• Esperanto: diabla
• Finnish: paholaismainen, pirullinen (fi)
• French: diabolique (fr)
• German: teuflisch (de), diabolisch (de)
• Latvian: velnišķs, velnišķīgs
• Portuguese: diabólico (pt)
• Russian: дья́вольский (ru) (dʹjávolʹskij)
• Turkish: şeytanca (tr), şeytani (tr)
• Ukrainian: дия́вольський (dyjávolʹsʹkyj)

extremely evil or cruel

• Bulgarian: зъл (bg) (zǎl), жесток (bg) (žestok)
• Finnish: paholaismainen, pirullinen (fi)
• French: diabolique (fr)
• German: teuflisch (de), diabolisch (de)
• Portuguese: diabólico (pt)
• Russian: дья́вольский (ru) (dʹjávolʹskij)
• Ukrainian: дия́вольський (dyjávolʹsʹkyj)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Italian: ^{(please verify)} diabolico (it)
• Spanish: ^{(please verify)} diabólico (es)
• Telugu: ^{(please verify)} పాశవికమైన (pāśavikamaina), ^{(please verify)} పాశవిక (pāśavika)

References

• Douglas Harper (2001–2024) “diabolic”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.

Anagrams

• biocidal

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French diabolique, from Latin diabolicus.

Adjective

diabolic m or n (feminine singular diabolică, masculine plural diabolici, feminine and neuter plural diabolice)

1. diabolical

Declension

		singular				plural
		masculine	neuter	feminine		masculine	neuter	feminine
nominative- accusative	indefinite	diabolic		diabolică		diabolici	diabolice
	definite	diabolicul		diabolica		diabolicii	diabolicele
genitive- dative	indefinite	diabolic		diabolice		diabolici	diabolice
	definite	diabolicului		diabolicei		diabolicilor	diabolicelor