devilish en · ADJ
Pronunciation
- /ˈdɛvɪlɪʃ/
- (Southern-England) audio
- dĕvʹəl
- /ˈdɛvəlɪʃ/
Etymology
From Middle English develissh, develyssh, equivalent to devil + -ish. Cognate with Saterland Frisian düvelsk, düüwelsk (“devilish”), West Frisian duvelsk (“devilish”), Dutch duivels (“devilish”), German Low German düvelsk (“devilish”), German teuflisch (“devilish”), Danish djævelsk (“devilish”), Swedish djävulsk (“devilish”), Norwegian djevelsk (“devilish”).
Meanings
-
Resembling a devil.
[C]urrently incarcerated Stinc Team members Ketchy the Great, SaySoTheMac, and Bambino; the devilish and gravelly Almighty Suspect; red-clad Inglewooder and headband connoisseur FreeAckrite; baby-faced Martin Luther King Park loiterer Johnny Rose; […]
2019 February 5, Torii MacAdams, “The New Generation of LA Rap is Changing Everything”, in Vice:Let vs put on our meet incountering mindes, / And in deteſting ſuch a diueliſh Thiefe, / In loue of honor and defence of right / Be arm’d againſt the hate of ſuch a foe, / Whether from earth, or hell, or heauen he grow.
c. 1587–1588 (date written), [Christopher Marlowe], Tamburlaine the Great. […] The First Part […], 2nd edition, part 1, London: […] [R. Robinson for] Richard Iones, […], published 1592, →OCLC; reprinted as Tamburlaine the Great (A Scolar Press Facsimile), Menston, Yorkshire; London: Scolar Press, 1973, →ISBN, Act II, scene vi, signature [B7], recto:
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Evil, wicked.
[S]ome turne agayne by grace frõ their deadly hereſies into yͤ life of faith, ⁊ ſome be ſo ſore nowſeled in the falſe hereſies, ⁊ in their obſtinate frowardneſſe take ſuch a deueliſhe delight, yͭ finally thei die therin as did Baifield, Bainã, ⁊ Tewkeſbury.
1532, Thomas More, “The Confutacion of [William] Tyndale’s Aunswere […]. The Maner and Order of Our Eleccion.”, in Wyllyam Rastell [i.e., William Rastell], editor, The Workes of Sir Thomas More Knyght, […], London: […] Iohn Cawod, Iohn Waly, and Richarde Tottell, published 30 April 1557, →OCLC, page 587, columns 1–2:[T]he devilish destructiveness of modern conventional weapons and the need for future Saddam-busters to control their spread. (Think of the damage that a Saddam with longer-range missiles, cleverer warheads and better defences [could do][…].)
1991, “(please specify the article title)”, in The Economist, London: The Economist Group, →ISSN, →OCLC:[…] devilish cruelty - for devilish cruelty it was, as three or four drivers armed with whips, lingered up and down the slowly-staggering file of Indians, and avenged every moment's lagging, even every stumble, by a blow of the cruel [whips].
1855, Charles Kingsley, Westward Ho!: Or, The Voyages and Adventures of Sir Amyas Leigh, Knight, […], volume (please specify |volume=I or II), Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: Macmillan & Co., →OCLC, page 383:For I abhore to smatter / Of one so deuyllysshe a matter.
a. 1530 (date written), John Skelton, “Here after Foloweth a Lytell Boke, whiche hath to Name Why Come Ye Nat to Courte? […]”, in Alexander Dyce, editor, The Poetical Works of John Skelton: […], volume II, London: Thomas Rodd, […], published 1843, →OCLC, page 48, lines 711–712:
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Roguish or mischievous.
[S]he gave me that lovely devilish smile that said: I like liberty, and not necessarily accountability.
2009 December, Dennis L. Siluk, A Leaf and a Rose (A Paris-Munich Romance-Novelette; III), iUniverse, →ISBN, page 41:a devilish grin
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(informal) Excessive, extreme.
A devilish effort yielded a devilish success.
I had a devilish time moving the wardrobe downstairs.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| more devilish | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic | |
| most devilish | Degree=Sup | lexicographic |
Deriveds
devilishly · undevilish · devilishness
Synonyms
depraved · impish · extreme · reprobate · unreasonable · ill-intentioned · demonish · demonic · satanic · mischievous · black-hearted · ill-natured · demoniacal · demoniac · malignant · arrant · malevolent · demonic · harmful · atrocious · satanical · despicable · evil-minded · demonical · nefarious · cheeky · no-good · dark · overweening · nithing · reprehensible · prodigal · unmeasured · evil · peccaminous · flagitious · ungodly · nefarious · wicked · unholy · unrestrained · diabolical · scathful · malicious · facinorous · baneful · malicious · cacodaemoniacal · nimious · malefic · over the top · excessive · satanical · diabolical · fiendlike · nidering · immoral · injurious · ogreish · daemonical · fallen angelic · naughty · baleful · knavish · demonlike · detrimental · diabolical · sinister · bad · pernicious · hellish · iniquous · incorrigible · unhallowed · scurrilous · sullen · niddering · vile · demonic · fiendish · infernal · de trop · diabolic · satanic · devilish · sinful · maleficent · malign · overmuch · niding · horrendous · diabolic · base · villainous · immoderate · wanton · abandoned · reprobate · devilish · bad seed · wanton · undue · deuced · satanic · obscene · vicious · deleterious · intemperate · naughty · iniquitous · extravagant · devilish · demoniac · demonly · bad apple · wrong · lavish · heinous · lavish · sordid
Translations (84)
ru стра́шный (extreme, excessive) · nb djevelsk (resembling or characteristic of a devil) · af hels (resembling or characteristic of a devil) · nn djevelsk (resembling or characteristic of a devil) · ru дья́вольский (resembling or characteristic of a devil) · yi טײַוואָליש (resembling or characteristic of a devil) · uk сатани́нський (resembling or characteristic of a devil) · pdc verdeiwelt (resembling or characteristic of a devil) · ja 残忍 (resembling or characteristic of a devil) · la scelestus (resembling or characteristic of a devil) · qu millaymana (resembling or characteristic of a devil) · sv djävulsk (extreme, excessive) · hu ördögi (resembling or characteristic of a devil) · nl duivels (extreme, excessive) · orv диꙗвольскꙑи (resembling or characteristic of a devil) · hu sátáni (resembling or characteristic of a devil) · yi טײַוולאָניש (resembling or characteristic of a devil) · pdc verschinnert (resembling or characteristic of a devil) · bg сатани́нски (resembling or characteristic of a devil) · pl diaboliczny (extreme, excessive) · it diabolico (resembling or characteristic of a devil) · uk дия́вольський (resembling or characteristic of a devil) · la diabolī (resembling or characteristic of a devil) · la diabolicus (resembling or characteristic of a devil) · sh vragolast (resembling or characteristic of a devil) · ru чёртовый (resembling or characteristic of a devil) · be сатані́нскі (resembling or characteristic of a devil) · af duiwels (resembling or characteristic of a devil) · pl diabelski (resembling or characteristic of a devil) · pt diabólico (resembling or characteristic of a devil) · la daemoniacus (resembling or characteristic of a devil) · ru черто́вский (extreme, excessive) · ru а́дский (extreme, excessive) · be д'я́бальскі (resembling or characteristic of a devil) · ru черто́вский (resembling or characteristic of a devil) · pl diabelski (extreme, excessive) · yi טײַוולש (resembling or characteristic of a devil) · bg дя́волски (resembling or characteristic of a devil) · nl diabolisch (resembling or characteristic of a devil) · pdt diewlisch (resembling or characteristic of a devil) · sv jävlig (extreme, excessive) · he שטני (resembling or characteristic of a devil) · fi kohtuuton (extreme, excessive) · sh враголаст (resembling or characteristic of a devil) · uk чортя́чий (resembling or characteristic of a devil) · cmn 非常 (extreme, excessive) · fi pirullinen (resembling or characteristic of a devil) · ca diabòlic (resembling or characteristic of a devil) · ja 非常 (extreme, excessive) · de teuflisch (resembling or characteristic of a devil) · fr diabolique (resembling or characteristic of a devil) · bg голям (extreme, excessive) · be чарто́ўскі (resembling or characteristic of a devil) · sv djävulsk (resembling or characteristic of a devil) · hu pokoli (extreme, excessive) · ru сатани́нский (resembling or characteristic of a devil) · hu állati (extreme, excessive) · pt extremo (extreme, excessive) · nl verduiveld (extreme, excessive) · cmn 惡魔般的 /恶魔般的 (resembling or characteristic of a devil) · fr diabolique (extreme, excessive) · ru дья́вольский (extreme, excessive) · nl deksels (extreme, excessive) · bg страхотен (extreme, excessive) · sh ђаволаст (resembling or characteristic of a devil) · fr infernal (extreme, excessive) · pl diaboliczny (resembling or characteristic of a devil) · ga diabhlaí (resembling or characteristic of a devil) · la daemonicus (resembling or characteristic of a devil) · de teuflisch (extreme, excessive) · pdc deiflisch (resembling or characteristic of a devil) · is djöfullegur (resembling or characteristic of a devil) · es diabólico (resembling or characteristic of a devil) · ja 悪魔的 (resembling or characteristic of a devil) · sv diabolisk (resembling or characteristic of a devil) · el διαβολικός (resembling or characteristic of a devil) · pdc deiwlisch (resembling or characteristic of a devil) · da djævelsk (resembling or characteristic of a devil) · ga diail (extreme, excessive) · nl satanisch (resembling or characteristic of a devil) · nl duivels (resembling or characteristic of a devil) · sh đavolast (resembling or characteristic of a devil) · sv djävlig (extreme, excessive) · yi רוחיש (resembling or characteristic of a devil)