How to Use diabolical in a Sentence

diabolical

adjective
  • The shadow roared in across the lake, like some diabolical gloom or lethal wall of hail.
    — Nick Paumgarten, The New Yorker, 9 Apr. 2024
  • His idea was equal parts earnest and diabolical.
    — Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 25 Oct. 2025
  • Well, if that bill was mean, this one is downright diabolical.
    — Douglas Perry, OregonLive.com, 22 June 2017
  • In the end, this diabolical plot didn’t come to fruition either.
    — Win McCormack, The New Republic, 27 Mar. 2018
  • Because that's a pretty diabolical and f---ed up thing to do to your son!
    — Derek Lawrence, EW.com, 27 Sep. 2021
  • That, to me, was the simplest and the most diabolical part of the story.
    — Greta Cross, USA Today, 30 Dec. 2025
  • The sand in hotter climates has got to be diabolical on bare skin.
    — Hedy Phillips, PEOPLE, 29 Apr. 2026
  • And to be forced to do it with multiple mouths to feed is nothing short of diabolical.
    — Essence, 20 Nov. 2025
  • Zero diabolical vibes to be found thus far.
    — Olivia Crandall, Vulture, 13 Nov. 2025
  • Or is there something more diabolical at play?
    — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 27 Apr. 2026
  • Pretty much being diabolical in every step of the way to get here.
    — Laura Johnston, cleveland, 27 May 2022
  • These are just some of their diabolical tactics.
    — Alexandra Petri, The Atlantic, 28 Jan. 2026
  • This is a diabolical way to run a country but a very effective way to stay in power.
    — Washington Post, 19 Feb. 2021
  • Payton, though, had a diabolical third-down call in his pocket.
    — Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 27 Oct. 2025
  • From perhaps the most diabolical spot on the entire course.
    — Brendan Quinn, New York Times, 20 June 2026
  • Gabriel Macht doesn’t miss a beat, and the charisma chasm between the two men is diabolical.
    — Ayan Artan, Vulture, 16 Mar. 2025
  • There’s nothing new about diabolical scammers posing as men of the cloth, of course.
    — Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 12 Apr. 2024
  • Play diabolical games, face off against the Front Man, and betray your friends for a chance to win it all.
    — Jennifer Maas, Variety, 17 June 2025
  • But one of the most diabolical methods, right at the top, is asking a designer to do his or her best work all over again.
    — David Netto, ELLE Decor, 15 Oct. 2020
  • The crime sets off a chain of events that would expose a diabolical scheme involving Pam.
    — Lynette Rice, EW.com, 11 May 2021
  • But while the two sides didn't agree, each was surprised to find the other not entirely diabolical.
    — Arkansas Online, 11 Apr. 2021
  • At the age of ten or so, Alicia felt the presence of this diabolical God.
    — James Wood, The New Yorker, 7 Dec. 2022
  • But plastic, of course, has a diabolical longevity with the potential to choke the world.
    — Washington Post, 28 Jan. 2022
  • The opening minutes of Bones and All are a diabolical bait and switch.
    — A.a. Dowd, Chron, 23 Nov. 2022
  • Greens are guarded with some diabolical sand traps, and the usually whipping wind forces you to plot every shot.
    — Moira McCarthy, Boston Herald, 11 Sep. 2025
  • The result is a hollow movie—but its very hollowness gives rise to a diabolical twist that’s more than merely clever.
    — Richard Brody, New Yorker, 21 Aug. 2025
  • This kid’s reign wasn’t about control so much as diabolical chaos, as Joffrey’s black little heart drove the realm for a while.
    — Joanna Robinson, HWD, 12 July 2017
  • The Ravens weren’t even doing anything diabolical at the line of scrimmage.
    — Alec Lewis, New York Times, 10 Nov. 2025
  • Yet the show’s big bads are scrumptiously diabolical.
    — Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 15 May 2026
  • Get ready for crazy trek through this maze, with creepy-looking people in pig masks, diabolical scenes of death and despair, and a whole lot of laughter and fun.
    — Brett Bowman, ajc, 21 Sep. 2017

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'diabolical.' 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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