1
as in excessive
going beyond a normal or acceptable limit in degree or amount
that's a devilish amount of bad luck for any person to have to endure
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2
as in demonic
of, relating to, or worthy of an evil spirit
a devilish plan to sabotage the other party's political convention
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3
as in mischievous
tending to or exhibiting reckless playfulness
a devilish grin that told us he was up to something
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Examples of devilish in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
But efforts to transplant an entire eye have been thwarted by the devilish difficulty of regrowing the optic nerve, which carries signals from the eye’s light-sensitive retina to the brain’s visual centers, where they are perceived as sight.
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Tanya Lewis, Scientific American, 9 Sep. 2024
Perhaps Cynthia Erivo, who stars as Elphaba in the film, will select the devilish green cape Khan previewed a sketch of for an upcoming red carpet.
—Ari Stark, WWD, 3 Sep. 2024
Kevin Sullivan, a pro wrestler who built a persona and considerable fame in the 1980s and ’90s as a devilish villain in KISS-like make-up who battled good guys including Hulk Hogan and Dusty Rhodes, has died.
—Greg Evans, Deadline, 9 Aug. 2024
As the house legend maintains, the devilish canine, who is seen thumbing his nose mockingly, was born of Alfred’s personal distaste for the police.
—Dan Q. Dao, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for devilish 
Tanya Lewis, Scientific American, 9 Sep. 2024
Perhaps Cynthia Erivo, who stars as Elphaba in the film, will select the devilish green cape Khan previewed a sketch of for an upcoming red carpet.
—Ari Stark, WWD, 3 Sep. 2024
Kevin Sullivan, a pro wrestler who built a persona and considerable fame in the 1980s and ’90s as a devilish villain in KISS-like make-up who battled good guys including Hulk Hogan and Dusty Rhodes, has died.
—Greg Evans, Deadline, 9 Aug. 2024
As the house legend maintains, the devilish canine, who is seen thumbing his nose mockingly, was born of Alfred’s personal distaste for the police.
—Dan Q. Dao, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for devilish
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'devilish.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Devilish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/devilish. Accessed 1 Oct. 2024.
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