Link Centre Dictionary

devilish

de·vi·lish

UK/ˈdɛvəlɪʃ/ US/ˈdɛvɪlɪʃ/ uncommon dated informal
adjective (2) adverb (1)

adjective

1.

showing the cunning or ingenuity or wickedness typical of a devil

  • “devilish schemes”
  • “the cold calculation and diabolic art of some statesmen”
  • “the diabolical expression on his face”
  • “a mephistophelian glint in his eye”
Synonyms
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2.

playful in an appealingly bold way

  • “a roguish grin”
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adverb

1.

in a playfully devilish manner

  • “the socialists are further handicapped if they believe that capitalists are not only wicked but also devilishly clever”
Synonyms

Origin

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”).

Related words

Word family

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.