diabolically
3
8.4
- adverb
- /ˌdaɪəˈbɑlɪkli/
:
diabólicamente
- The villain laughed diabolically as he plotted his evil scheme.
- diabolically clever
Either they are bumbling idiots or they are diabolically clever.
- Either they are bumbling idiots or they are diabolically clever.
- It's so diabolically evil and unfair, unjust.
- It's disgusting that we share a country with so many people that are just so incredibly diabolically selfish.
- Meanwhile, they sane wash this diabolically dangerous person that's literally surrounded by Nazis, right?
Examples
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This music is rough around the edges, dense, and diabolically eerie.
Blog text (20) -
Are we ready to say that this beautiful universe, which is so incredibly orderly, is also diabolically unfair?
Blog text (29) -
Who else would be so diabolically clever?
-
It's disgusting that we share a country with so many people that are just so incredibly diabolically selfish.
-
It's so diabolically evil and unfair, unjust.
-
A subtle, almost diabolically clever way... of obtaining documents from locked places.
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Yes, sir, and they're diabolically clever.
-
Though popular, the mantra is woefully misguided and diabolically untrue.
Blog text (29) -
So pleased—so diabolically pleased—did he look, that for a moment, Caroline's breath caught in her throat.
Fiction book (2001) -
As Callie Angell explains, Warhol "created a set of diabolically challenging performance instructions for his sitters who... struggled to hold a pose while their brief moment of exposure was prolonged into a nearly unendurable three minutes."
Academic text (2016)
Synonyms
10
7.1
In a way that wants to hurt someone or cause trouble
5
6.3
In an evil and cruel way that harms other people
5
9.1
In a very cruel, very clever, or very difficult way
4
8.4
In a cruel way to hurt or frighten others
2
8.8
In a very intense and unpleasant way
1
8.4
To do something in a very shocking and cruel way
1
8.8
In a way that is very bad or annoying
1
8.9
In a very evil way
1
8.6
In a way that shows a wish to hurt others
1
8.2
In a way that seems evil, wild, and frightening
1
8.9
In a very dishonest or illegal way
1
7.3
To speak or act in a very hurtful and angry way
In a mean and harmful way
In a cruel way that shows bad intentions
In a way that causes great harm
In a cruel way showing pleasure at others' pain
In a way that seems evil or threatening
In a way that is very bad or annoying
Antonyms
How Evil
Surface Forms
Morphology
diabolically = diabolical (semi-transparent) = diabolic + ly
The adverb is formed by a regular addition of '-ly' to an adjective, but the adjective 'diabolical/diabolic' is relatively rare and its connection to 'devil' may not be obvious to many learners.
Etymology
Diabolically comes from the old Greek word diabolos, which meant 'accuser' or 'slanderer' and is the same root as the English word devil. So, to do something diabolically is to act like the devil — very wicked or meant to hurt or trick someone.