devilish

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”).

• enPR: dĕvʹəl, IPA^(key): /ˈdɛvəlɪʃ/, /ˈdɛvɪlɪʃ/

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devilish (comparative more devilish, superlative most devilish)

1. Resembling a devil.
   • c. 1587–1588, [Christopher Marlowe], Tamburlaine the Great. The First Part , 2nd edition, part 1, London: 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 , recto:

     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.

2. Characteristic of a devil.

   a devilish grin

   • 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:

     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.

   • 1816 June – 1817 April/May (date written), [Mary Shelley], chapter III, in Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus. , volume III, London: for Lackington, Hughes, Harding, Mavor, & Jones, published 1 January 1818, →OCLC, pages 43–44:

     The wretch saw me destroy the creature on whose future existence he depended for happiness, and, with a howl of devilish despair and revenge, withdrew.

3. (informal) Extreme, excessive.

   A devilish effort yielded a devilish success.

• (resembling a devil): atrocious, demoniac, deuced, diabolic, evil, fiendish, ghoulish, malicious, mischievous, nefarious, ogreish, reprobate, unhallowed, wicked
• (characteristic of a devil): demonic, diabolic, diabolical, hellish, infernal, satanic, satanical
• (extreme): excessive, extreme.

devilish (comparative more devilish, superlative most devilish)

1. (informal, dated) Devilishly; very; exceedingly.

   It was devilish hot outside today.