different between diabolic vs wicked

English

Alternative forms

• diabolick (obsolete)

Etymology

First attested between 1350 and 1400 from Middle English diabolik, from Middle French diabolique, from Late Latin diabolicus, from Ancient Greek ?????????? (diabolikós, “devilish”), from ???????? (diábolos, “devil”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?da???b?l?k/

Adjective

diabolic (comparative more diabolic, superlative most diabolic)

1. Showing wickedness typical of a devil.

   diabolic magic square

   a cunning and diabolic plot

2. Extremely evil or cruel.

   fires lit up a diabolic scene

Synonyms

• devilish, mephistophelian, mephistophelean
• demonic, fiendish, hellish, infernal, satanic, unholy

Derived terms

• diabolical

Translations

References

• Douglas Harper (2001–2021) , “diabolic”, in Online Etymology Dictionary

Anagrams

• biocidal

Romanian

Etymology

From French diabolique, from Latin diabolicus.

Adjective

diabolic m or n (feminine singular diabolic?, masculine plural diabolici, feminine and neuter plural diabolice)

1. diabolical

Declension

English

Etymology 1

From Middle English wicked, wikked, an alteration of Middle English wicke, wikke (“morally perverse, evil, wicked”). Possibly from an adjectival use of Old English wi??a (“wizard, sorcerer”), from Proto-Germanic *wikkô (“necromancer, sorcerer”), though the phonology makes this theory difficult to explain.

Pronunciation

• enPR: w?k??d, IPA^(key): /?w?k?d/

Adjective

wicked (comparative wickeder or more wicked, superlative wickedest or most wicked)

1. Evil or mischievous by nature.

   Synonyms: evil, immoral, malevolent, malicious, nefarious, twisted, villainous; see also Thesaurus:evil

2. (slang) Excellent; awesome; masterful.

   Synonyms: awesome, bad, cool, dope, excellent, far out, groovy, hot, rad; see also Thesaurus:excellent

Usage notes

Use of "wicked" as an adjective rather than an adverb is considered an error in the Boston dialect. However, that is not necessarily the case in other New England dialects.

Derived terms

• wickedly
• wickedness
• wicked tongue

Translations

Adverb

wicked (not comparable)

1. (slang, New England, Britain) Very, extremely.

   Synonyms: hella, helluv (both Californian/regional, and both potentially considered mildly vulgar)

Translations

Etymology 2

See wick.

Pronunciation

• enPR: w?kt, IPA^(key): /w?kt/

Verb

wicked

1. simple past tense and past participle of wick

Adjective

wicked (not comparable)

1. Having a wick.

Derived terms

• multiwicked

Etymology 3

See wick.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?w?k?d/

Adjective

wicked

1. (Britain, dialect, obsolete) Active; brisk.
2. (Britain, dialect, chiefly Yorkshire) Infested with maggots.
3. Alternative form of wick, as applying to inanimate objects only.

References

Middle English

Adjective

wicked

1. Alternative form of wikked