Definition

1. 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.

2. 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

1. playful in an appealingly bold way
   • a roguish grin
2. 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

1. in a playfully devilish manner
   • the socialists are further handicapped if they believe that capitalists are not only wicked but also devilishly clever