devilish

C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ˈdɛvəlɪʃ/ UK /ˈdɛvəlɪʃ/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

adj
like a devil; mischievous or extremely difficult

The puzzle was devilish hard, yet she solved it before noon.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · like a devil; mischievous... fiendish diabolical wicked mischievous impishsatanicinfernal

Opposites

angelic saintly virtuous heavenly

Word family

Derived forms devilishlydevilishness

Related forms devil diabolic demonic

Etymology

From devil + -ish. Devil is from Old English deofol, from Latin diabolus, from Ancient Greek diabolos ('slanderer'), from diaballein ('to throw across, accuse').

deofol Old English diabolos Ancient Greek

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# devilish

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** /ˈdɛvəlɪʃ/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈdɛvəlɪʃ/

## Meanings
1. like a devil; mischievous or extremely difficult

## Examples
- The puzzle was devilish hard, yet she solved it before noon.

## Synonyms
- fiendish
- diabolical
- wicked
- mischievous
- impish
- satanic
- infernal

## Antonyms
- angelic
- saintly
- virtuous
- heavenly

## Derived Forms
- devilishly
- devilishness

## Related Forms
- devil
- diabolic
- demonic

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: deofol
- Root: diabolos

## Etymology
From devil + -ish. Devil is from Old English deofol, from Latin diabolus, from Ancient Greek diabolos ('slanderer'), from diaballein ('to throw across, accuse').

## AI Etymology
Devilish comes from devil + -ish. Devil is from Old English deofol, from Latin diabolus, from Ancient Greek diabolos ('slanderer'), from diaballein ('to throw across, accuse'). The etymological trail includes Old English deofol and Ancient Greek diabolos. As an adjective, devilish describes what is like a devil; mischievous or extremely difficult. The same family is visible in derived forms such as devilishly and devilishness and related forms such as devil, diabolic, and demonic. The analysis is partly morphological, with the modern form built from the elements named in the history.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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