devilishly C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities US /ˈdɛvəlɪʃli/ UK /ˈdɛvəlɪʃli/ See IPA manual Meanings 1 adv in a mischievous or fiendish way; or extremely The puzzle was devilishly hard to solve. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 adv · in a mischievous or... fiendishlydiabolicallywickedlymischievouslyextremelyinfernally ↔ Opposites angelicallyvirtuously Word family Related forms devilishdevildiabolical Etymology AI details From devilish + -ly. Devil is from Old English deofol, from Latin diabolus, from Ancient Greek diabolos ('slanderer'), from diaballein ('to slander, throw across'). deofol Old English diabolos Ancient Greek View etymology graph -> Topics Describing Qualities Word Formation & Derivatives External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # devilishly **Type:** Word **Level:** C2+ **Part of speech:** adv **IPA (US):** /ˈdɛvəlɪʃli/ **IPA (UK):** /ˈdɛvəlɪʃli/ ## Meanings 1. in a mischievous or fiendish way; or extremely ## Examples - The puzzle was devilishly hard to solve. ## Synonyms - fiendishly - diabolically - wickedly - mischievously - extremely - infernally ## Antonyms - angelically - virtuously ## Related Forms - devilish - devil - diabolical ## Roots and Affixes - Root: deofol - Root: diabolos ## Etymology From devilish + -ly. Devil is from Old English deofol, from Latin diabolus, from Ancient Greek diabolos ('slanderer'), from diaballein ('to slander, throw across'). ## AI Etymology Devilishly is from devilish + -ly. Devil is from Old English deofol, from Latin diabolus, from Ancient Greek diabolos ('slanderer'), from diaballein ('to slander, throw across'). The ancestry passes through Old English deofol and Ancient Greek diabolos. The suffix -ly forms an adverb or adjective from the base, so the English form is shaped by recognizable word formation as well as by its inherited or borrowed base. In present use as an adverb, it means "in a mischievous or fiendish way; or extremely", keeping the historical formation close to the word's ordinary semantic work. Related words include devilish, devil, and diabolical. ## Topics - Describing Qualities - Word Formation & Derivatives markdown