Satanic

How to spell satanic

7 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce satanic

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does satanic mean?

1. adjectiveRelating to Satan or the Devil, or characteristic of extreme evil or wickedness.

Satanic in a sentence

• The film used satanic imagery to unsettle its audience.

• The cult was accused of satanic rituals during the trial.

Where does satanic come from?

Language of origin: Hebrew

This adjective is built on the name Satan, which traces back to the Hebrew word satan, literally meaning 'adversary' or 'one who opposes'. In Hebrew scripture the term first described an accuser or obstructer rather than a single named being, and it passed into Greek as satanas and then into Latin as Satanas, where it hardened into the proper name for the Devil. English took the name from these biblical sources, and the adjective satanic, meaning 'of or relating to Satan' or 'devilish', appears in English writing from the late 1600s. The spelling keeps the single capitalised root but lowercases it as an adjective, and learners should note the plain single 't' and single 'n', with the middle stressed vowel sounding like the 'a' in 'tan'.

How the word is built

• Satan (the adversary, the Devil)
• -ic (adjective suffix: relating to)