Devilry

//ˈdɛv.əl.ɹi// noun

noun ·Moderate ·College level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    Mischief. countable, uncountable

    "Their newfound devilry : prank-calling local businesses."

  2. 2
    reckless or malicious behavior that causes discomfort or annoyance in others wordnet
  3. 3
    Wickedness; cruelty. countable, uncountable

    ""The Master's Society wishes to overturn the world order into his hands by devilry and chaos. There is good news that Mr. Stevens is repentant and under our employ and gave us a significant store of antidote for the violent toxin. We can dose the MPs.""

  4. 4
    wicked and cruel behavior wordnet
  5. 5
    An action performed with the help of a devil; witchcraft. countable, uncountable
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  1. 6
    An act of such mischief, wickedness, cruelty, or witchcraft. countable, uncountable

    "[…] pranks and devilries which turned slowly more unpleasant."

Synonyms

All synonyms
deviltrymischiefmonkey businessarrantnessbadnessbaseness

Example

More examples

"Their newfound devilry : prank-calling local businesses."

Etymology

From Middle English develrye; equivalent to devil + -ry.

Related phrases

printer's devilry

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.