From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishdiabolicaldi‧a‧bol‧i‧cal /ˌdaɪəˈbɒlɪkəl◂ $ -ˈbɑː-/ adjective 1 (also diabolic /ˌdaɪəˈbɒ◂lɪk $ -ˈbɑː-/)CRUELBAD BEHAVIOUR OR ACTIONS evil or cruel diabolical abuse2 BAD AT British English informal extremely unpleasant or bad The toilets were in a diabolical state. —diabolically /-kli/ adverb
Examples from the Corpus
diabolical• Even if your memory starts functioning by then the forecast is diabolical.• Unfortunately, the animated sequence is diabolical.• The dust is diabolical - at one stage you could be fired for using a sweeping brush and not a vacuum.• She does not succeed in persuasively outing the Don Juan / Superman with his diabolical red beard and Jaeger wool suits.• a diabolical serial killer• Sometime after her acceptance, she exhibited signs of her former diabolical symptoms.• The 1955 original was a triumph of atmosphere, character, diabolical wit and outright scare-you-silly shock tactics.Origin diabolical (1300-1400) French diabolique, from Greek diabolos “devil” 