devil

/ˈdɛvəl/
noun
  1. In some religions, the most powerful evil spirit, often seen as the enemy of God and tempter of humans.
    • Many stories describe the devil as a fallen angel who rules over hell.
    • The character made a deal with the devil to gain wealth and power.
    • In the painting, the devil is shown with horns and a tail.
  2. A person who behaves in a cruel, wicked, or mischievous way.
    • That little devil hid my keys just to annoy me.
    • He's a devil when it comes to playing pranks on his friends.
    • The dictator was described as a devil by those who suffered under his rule.
  3. Used in expressions to show strong emotion, such as surprise, anger, or emphasis.
    • She ran like the devil to catch the bus.
    • The devil of it is that we have no time to fix the mistake.
    • What the devil are you doing in my room?
Antonyms
verb
  1. To cook (food) with spicy or hot seasoning, often by grilling or broiling.
    • For the party, she decided to devil the eggs with paprika and mustard.
    • The chef likes to devil the shrimp with a cayenne pepper sauce.
    • You can devil chicken wings by coating them in a spicy rub and baking them.