diabolism

[ dahy-ab-uh-liz-uhm ]

noun

1. Theology.
   1. action aided or caused by the devil; sorcery; witchcraft.
   2. the character or condition of a devil.
   3. a doctrine concerning devils.
   4. a belief in or worship of devils.
2. action befitting the devil; deviltry.

diabolism

/ daɪˈæbəˌlɪzəm /

noun

1. 1. activities designed to enlist the aid of devils, esp in witchcraft or sorcery
   2. worship of devils or beliefs and teachings concerning them
   3. the nature of devils
2. character or conduct that is devilish or fiendish; devilry

Derived Forms

• diˈabolist, noun

Other Words From

• di·abo·list noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of diabolism¹

1600–10; < Greek diábol ( os ) devil + -ism

Example Sentences

Whether it manifests as racism, bullying, or subliminal conditioning to self-harm, "Evil" shows us how ordinary and banal most diabolism is.

From Salon

Whatever their theme — spectral invasion, diabolism, shape-changing — Blackwood expertly builds up an atmosphere of the otherworldly coupled with the spiritually threatening.

From Washington Post

Still, be warned: “The Sorcery Club” may seem an example of dated turn-of-the-century diabolism, but I wouldn’t try any of its weird invocations at home.

From Washington Post

Photograph: David Levenson/Getty Images Pendle: a place synonymous with witches and Britain's most notorious diabolism trials.

From The Guardian

Then came the pictured rocks—the illustrated newspaper of the aborigines, free, so far as I know, from the diabolism which pollutes the pictorial papers of our time.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• calamity
• catastrophe
• corruption
• crime
• harm
• hatred
• ill
• misery
• pain
• sin
• suffering
• wrong