Satan

The word “Satan” means in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, the chief evil spirit who opposes God and tempts people to sin; the Devil. In plain terms, the Devil — the personification of evil in the Abrahamic religions.

“Satan” is pronounced SAY-tuhn (/ˈseɪ.tən/ in IPA).

Here is “Satan” used in a sentence: “The sermon described Satan as the ultimate source of temptation.”

Words with a similar meaning to “Satan” include Aduwallah, Adversary, Al-Shaytaan, Antichrist, archfiend and Ash-Shaytan.

The opposite of “Satan” — its antonyms — are god and Allah.

“Satan” is a noun.

The word “Satan” comes from Latin. Traced back through Latin and Greek to Hebrew satan, meaning "adversary" or "accuser" — originally a title or role rather than a personal name.

“Satan” is a fairly common word in modern English.

In Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, Satan and the Devil refer to the same figure: the chief evil spirit who opposes God and tempts people to sin. "Satan" is generally treated as a proper name, while "the Devil" works as a title, and the two are used interchangeably in most English contexts.

Yes, Satan is capitalized because it functions as the proper name of the chief evil spirit who opposes God. The related adjective "satanic" is written with a lowercase s except at the start of a sentence.

In Christian tradition both names are commonly used for the Devil, but "Satan" specifically names the chief evil spirit who opposes God and tempts people to sin. "Lucifer" is a name traditionally linked to the same figure, though exactly how the two names relate varies across religious and literary sources.

Informally, "Satan" can describe a person seen as extremely wicked or cruel, but this use is figurative and emphatic rather than literal. In formal writing it is usually clearer to describe the person's actual behaviour.