DEVILRY

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does devilry mean? 

• DEVILRY (noun)
  The noun DEVILRY has 2 senses:

1. wicked and cruel behavior

2. reckless or malicious behavior that causes discomfort or annoyance in others

  Familiarity information: DEVILRY used as a noun is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• DEVILRY (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Wicked and cruel behavior

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

devilry; deviltry

Hypernyms ("devilry" is a kind of...):

evil; immorality; iniquity; wickedness (morally objectionable behavior)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Reckless or malicious behavior that causes discomfort or annoyance in others

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

devilment; devilry; deviltry; mischief; mischief-making; mischievousness; rascality; roguery; roguishness; shenanigan

Hypernyms ("devilry" is a kind of...):

misbehavior; misbehaviour; misdeed (improper or wicked or immoral behavior)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "devilry"):

blaze; hell (noisy and unrestrained mischief)

monkey business (mischievous or deceitful behavior)

hooliganism; malicious mischief; vandalism (willful wanton and malicious destruction of the property of others)

Derivation:

devil (cause annoyance in; disturb, especially by minor irritations)

 Context examples 

Perhaps some new devilry of the gods was about to be perpetrated on him.

(White Fang, by Jack London)

I kept my eye on her after that, for I knew there was some devilry in the wind.

(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

“There is some devilry going forward! Why should such a message stop in such a way? I should put Scotland Yard in touch with this business—and yet, it is too pressing for us to leave.”

(His Last Bow, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Well, I don’t know now whether it was pure devilry on the part of this woman, or whether she thought that she could turn me against my wife by encouraging her to misbehave.

(The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)