diabolical
15 synonyms and 9 antonyms for diabolical, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Adj — Extremely cruel or wicked; evil.
Synonyms
Rare, literary or technical
Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.
Antonyms
How to use diabolical
The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.
In British English, "diabolical" is often used casually to mean "terrible," well beyond anything actually evil.
Etymology
From diabolic + -al, ultimately from Greek diabolos ("slanderer, devil").
Full origin of diabolical →Frequently asked questions
What does “diabolical” mean?
The word “diabolical” means extremely cruel or wicked; evil. In plain terms, devilishly evil, or — used more loosely — extremely bad.
How do you pronounce “diabolical”?
“Diabolical” is pronounced deye-uh-BO-lih-kuh ([ˌdaɪəˈbɑlɪkəɫ] in IPA).
How do you use “diabolical” in a sentence?
Here is “diabolical” used in a sentence: “The villain hatched a diabolical plan to destroy the city.”
What is another word for “diabolical”?
Words with a similar meaning to “diabolical” include cacodaemoniacal, daemonical, demoniac, demoniacal, demonic and demonical.
What is the opposite of “diabolical”?
The opposite of “diabolical” — its antonyms — are angelic, divine, undemonic, undevilish and undiabolical.
What part of speech is “diabolical”?
“Diabolical” is an adjective.
Where does the word “diabolical” come from?
The word “diabolical” comes from Greek. From diabolic + -al, ultimately from Greek diabolos ("slanderer, devil").
How many meanings does “diabolical” have?
“Diabolical” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: extremely cruel or wicked; evil.