Definition of devil

devilnoun

ác quỷ

/ˈdevl//ˈdevl/

Word OriginOld English dēofol (related to Dutch duivel and German Teufel), via late Latin from Greek diabolos ‘accuser, slanderer’ (used in the Septuagint to translate Hebrew śāṭān ‘Satan’), from diaballein ‘to slander’, from dia ‘across’ + ballein ‘to throw’.

namespace

the most powerful evil being

sinh vật ác quỷ mạnh nhất

Example:
  • belief in the Devil

    niềm tin vào ma quỷ

  • His strong left-wing views make him the devil incarnate to more extreme Conservatives.

    Quan điểm cánh tả mạnh mẽ của anh ta khiến anh ta trở thành ác quỷ hiện thân của những người Bảo thủ cực đoan hơn.

Related words and phrases

an evil spirit

một linh hồn xấu xa

Example:
  • They believed she was possessed by devils.

    Họ tin rằng cô đã bị quỷ ám.

  • He behaved like someone possessed by devils.

    Anh ta cư xử như người bị quỷ ám.

a person who behaves badly, especially a child

một người cư xử tồi tệ, đặc biệt là một đứa trẻ

Example:
  • a naughty little devil

    một con quỷ nhỏ nghịch ngợm

Related words and phrases

used to talk about somebody and to emphasize an opinion that you have of them

dùng để nói về ai đó và nhấn mạnh quan điểm của bạn về họ

Example:
  • I miss the old devil, now that he's gone.

    Tôi nhớ con quỷ cũ, bây giờ anh ấy đã đi rồi.

  • She's off to Greece for a month—lucky devil!

    Cô ấy sẽ đi Hy Lạp trong một tháng - thật may mắn!

  • James was a handsome devil and rich, too.

    James là một ác quỷ đẹp trai và cũng giàu có.

  • They were handsome young devils in their uniforms, weren't they?

    Họ là những chàng quỷ trẻ đẹp trai trong bộ đồng phục phải không?

Related words and phrases

Idioms

be a devil
(British English)people say Be a devil! to encourage somebody to do something that they are not sure about doing
  • Go on, be a devil, buy both of them.
    • better the devil you know (than the devil you don’t)
    (saying)used to say that it is easier and wiser to stay in a bad situation that you know and can deal with rather than change to a new situation that may be much worse
    between the devil and the deep blue sea
    in a difficult situation where there are two equally unpleasant or unacceptable choices
    the devil
    (old-fashioned)very difficult or unpleasant
  • These berries are the devil to pick because they're so small.
    • the devil looks after his own
    (saying)bad people often seem to have good luck
    the devil makes work for idle hands
    (saying)people who do not have enough to do often start to do wrong
  • She blamed the crimes on the local jobless teenagers. ‘The devil makes work for idle hands,’ she would say.
    • a devil of a job/time
    (old-fashioned)a very difficult or unpleasant job or time
  • I've had a devil of a job finding you.
    • the devil/hell to pay
    (informal)a lot of trouble
  • There'll be hell to pay when he finds out.
    • go to the devil!
    (old-fashioned, informal)used, in an unfriendly way, to tell somebody to go away
    like the devil
    (old-fashioned, informal)very hard, fast, etc.
  • We ran like the devil.
    • sell your soul (to the devil)
    to do anything, even something really bad or dishonest, in return for money, success or power
    speak/talk of the devil
    (informal)people say speak/talk of the devil when somebody they have been talking about appears unexpectedly
  • Well, speak of the devil—here's Alice now!
    • what, where, who, why, etc. the devil…
    (old-fashioned)used in questions to show that you are annoyed or surprised
  • What the devil do you think you're doing?