devil 1 of 2

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as in Satan
capitalized the supreme personification of evil often represented as the ruler of hell the Devil is traditionally seen as a being who relentlessly tempts people to commit evil

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as in cowboy
a person who seeks out very dangerous or foolhardy adventures with no apparent fear originally snowboarders were regarded as devils on the slopes and a menace to skiers

Synonyms & Similar Words

devil

2 of 2

verb

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of devil
Noun
It’s also designed to better accommodate female astronauts, a problem that has deviled the space agency in the past. Tim Fernholz, Quartz, 16 Mar. 2023 Highlights include a variety of cheese, smoked salmon, prosciutto, deviled egg salad, biscuits, bagels and baguettes and cinnamon rolls. Los Angeles Times, 4 May 2020
Verb
Two assistants, played by Jen Van Epps and Brian Jordan Alvarez, coded as angels and devils sitting on Gemma’s shoulders, yet coming off more as characters who weren’t able to finish being sketched out because apparently a tight deadline was looming. David Fear, Rolling Stone, 25 June 2025 Assign someone to challenge ideas or play devil’s advocate. Elizabeth Freedman, Forbes.com, 30 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for devil
Recent Examples of Synonyms for devil
Noun
  • As a speaker is heard talking about honoring Trump's courage, the president rubs Satan's leg under the table.
    Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 31 July 2025
  • On the heels of its season premiere--which generated huge traffic on YouTube for its Trump segments--a trailer for the second episode shows that the show isn’t done with the president just yet, showing Trump sharing a dinner with Satan, and rubbing his leg under the table.
    Mark Joyella, Forbes.com, 31 July 2025
Noun
  • It was emptied of us and, therefore, full of dunes and demons, bogs and bleeding trees.
    Devon Walker-Figueroa, The New York Review of Books, 3 July 2025
  • Things become messy when a popular rival boy band – The Saja Boys – are revealed to be demons.
    Laura Sirikul, Forbes.com, 30 June 2025
Noun
  • Those same schools can give their men’s basketball programs the largest cut of the revenue sharing pie, rather than the 20 percent that most of their high-major colleagues should receive.
    Brendan Marks, New York Times, 24 July 2025
  • The wear and tear of a job that devours men in their 30s.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 24 July 2025
Noun
  • Capuchin monkeys, highly social and intelligent, typically live in dynamic groups that require both physical and psychological stimulation.
    Ramal Nasim, Kansas City Star, 29 July 2025
  • Mammals followed, and then monkeys, and then hominins and then us.
    Simon Boas July 23, Literary Hub, 23 July 2025
Noun
  • In 1994, Hogan joined WCW and reinvented himself as a villain, forming the New World Order (nWo) and ushering in a new era of edgy storytelling.
    Hannah Parry Amanda Castro Joshua Rhett Miller, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 July 2025
  • The film is currently filming in London with Joe and Anthony Russo, the directors behind the highest-grossing MCU movies ever, back behind the camera; Downey now playing the chief villain; and a slew of stars from the lost era of Fox's X-Men movies reprising their roles for the first time in years.
    EW.com, EW.com, 24 July 2025
Noun
  • Silverlake Cowboy The style dubbed Silverlake Cowboy blends together the modern hipster and a traditional cowboy aesthetic.
    Logan Holland, People.com, 22 July 2025
  • Want a swoony cowboy romance or a short, speedy book?
    Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 17 July 2025
Verb
  • Each night, mysterious visitors torment Ahmed, whispering litanies in an incomprehensible language.
    Leo Barraclough, Variety, 23 July 2025
  • The original 1997 movie followed the two characters — then teenagers — as well as character portrayed by Ryan Phillippe and Prinze's wife Sarah Michelle Gellar, who are each tormented by the film's slasher-style fisherman villain one year after covering up a deadly car accident.
    Tommy McArdle, People.com, 22 July 2025
Noun
  • Once freed, the dream tries to repair his life by regaining his magical tools, which takes him to hell to visit Lucifer, played by Gwendoline Christie and in search of a deranged human, played by David Thewlis.
    Sara Chernikoff, USA Today, 24 July 2025
  • Known for its work on American Gigolo, Lucifer, The Amazing Race, the CSI franchise and more, Jerry Bruckheimer Television is also currently working on Fire Country, which heads into its fourth season on CBS in October, among other projects.
    Matt Grobar, Deadline, 23 July 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Devil.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/devil. Accessed 5 Aug. 2025.

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