devilry
Americannoun
plural
devilriesnoun
-
reckless or malicious fun or mischief
-
wickedness or cruelty
-
black magic or other forms of diabolism
Etymology
Origin of devilry
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
He possessed both the winemaking skills and an appetite for devilry.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 30, 2025
How about you, dear reader: Who are the sword and sorcery protagonists that scratch your itch for devilry and adventure?
From Washington Post • Sep. 17, 2021
What else could it be — and what new devilry is waiting for us tomorrow?
From Salon • Oct. 8, 2019
Yugoslavia the cat may also remind readers of Behemoth, the demonic feline in Mikhail Bulgakov’s “The Master and Margarita,” who mixes his devilry with charm, though Yugoslavia seems more devil than charmer.
From The New Yorker • Apr. 25, 2017
‘There’s some devilry at work in the Shire,’ he said.
From "The Fellowship of the Ring" by J.R.R. Tolkien
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
