diabolical

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We shall find during the first period that Masonry was freely described as a diabolical and Satanic institution, and it is necessary to insist on this point because it is liable to confuse the issues.

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Definitions (4)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (2)

  1. adjective Of, concerning, or characteristic of the devil; satanic.
  2. adjective Appropriate to a devil, especially in degree of wickedness or cruelty.

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Examples (50)

  • It was diabolical, a thinned-down reheat of some earlier brew. —  R. D. Wingfield - Frost at Christmas
  • He just felt generally diabolical, and tried merely to keep enough good sense not to turn his temper in any particular direction. —  Lawrence - Kangaroo
  • Even more diabolical, hispanics could interbreed with blacks, and thus the entire black race be destroyed at no genetic cost to ourselves. —  1. MajorityRights.com (main blog)
  • I thought they might amuse you for a while They were simply diabolical--but just on a par with all the rest! —  Peggy-Alone
  • A grin that was scarcely human and almost diabolical, as if the miserable creature had caught sight of the shriveled soul peering through the chinks which imprisoned his rat eyes and found a malignant enjoyment in the contemplation of its contemptible littleness From this debasing inspection Raikes turned slowly to the washstand to remove the grime from his face, with an impersonal deliberation that was not only unnatural under the circumstances, but which awakened the eerie suggestion that he was expending his effort upon another than himself From this moment he became strangely calm; the sharp decision of his lips was never so pronounced A baleful, unwavering gleam distinguished his glance. —  The Flaw in the Sapphire
 

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Roget's II Roget's II: The New Thesaurus

Allen's Allen's Synonyms and Antonyms

Used in the same context Used in the Same Context

devilish ·  fiendish ·  satanic ·  infernal ·  murderous ·  wicked ·  malicious ·  inhuman ·  abominable ·  malevolent ·  atrocious ·  frightful
Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary. Copyright © 2003, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Etymologies (1)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  1. From Middle English deabolik, from Old French diabolique, from Late Latin diabolicus, from Latin diabolus, devil; see devil.
 

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/dajəˈbɑlɪk, ɪkəl/
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