devilish
/'devliʃ/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Adjective:
- Playfully mischievous or bold: Having a quality that is appealingly naughty, bold, or teasing in a charming way.
- Extremely evil, cruel, or wicked: Showing the cunning, ingenuity, or malevolence considered typical of a devil; diabolical.
Adverb:
- Extremely, very: Used for emphasis, often to indicate a high degree of cleverness, difficulty, or another quality.
- In a playfully mischievous manner: Behaving in a way that is teasingly bold or naughty.
Usage Examples
- Adjective (Playfully mischievous):
- She gave him a devilish grin before revealing the surprise.
- His devilish sense of humor always made her laugh.
- Adjective (Extremely wicked):
- The villain hatched a devilish plan to take over the city.
- They uncovered the devilish details of the conspiracy.
- Adverb (Extremely):
- The puzzle was devilishly hard to solve.
- He is a devilishly clever negotiator.
- Adverb (Playfully):
- He smiled devilishly, knowing he had won the bet.
Advanced Usage
- "the devilish details": A playful variation of "the devil is in the details," referring to hidden complexities or problems.
- The contract seemed simple, but then we found the devilish details.
- Used to describe something that is provocatively attractive or appealing in a slightly dangerous or unconventional way.
- She wore a dress with a devilish cut that turned heads.
Variants and Related Words
- Devilishly (adv.): In an extremely or playfully devilish manner.
- The problem was devilishly complex.
- Devilry / Deviltry (n.): Reckless mischief; wicked or cruel behavior.
- The children were up to some devilry in the attic.
- Diabolical (adj.): Another word for extremely wicked or cruel. Often used interchangeably with the "evil" sense of "devilish."
- Mephistophelian (adj.): Suggestive of the cunning and malevolence of Mephistopheles, a devil figure in literature.
Synonyms
- Adjective (Playful): Roguish, mischievous, impish, cheeky.
- Adjective (Wicked): Diabolical, fiendish, evil, malevolent, nefarious.
- Adverb (Extremely): Extremely, terribly, fiendishly, exceedingly.
Related Phrases
- A devilish look/grin/smile: A facial expression conveying playful mischief or secret knowledge.
- He shot me a devilish look across the room.
- Devilish luck: Extraordinarily good or bad fortune.
- He had the devilish luck to find the last ticket.
Idioms
- Between the devil and the deep blue sea: Facing a choice between two equally bad or dangerous alternatives. (Note: This idiom uses "devil" but is a fixed phrase; "devilish" itself is not typically part of common idioms.)
Adjective
- playful in an appealingly bold way
- a roguish grin
- 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
Adverb
- in a playfully devilish manner
- the socialists are further handicapped if they believe that capitalists are not only wicked but also devilishly clever