# Diablo

/ˌdaɪˈæbɫoʊ/ (US) · CEFR C2 · Adjective

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/diablo
Updated: 2026-08-15

## Definition

describing a dish that is cooked with very spicy ingredients, like hot peppers or strong mustard.

For teachers: prepared with hot spices or a piquant sauce, often featuring mustard or chili peppers. Typically used as a postpositive modifier in culinary contexts.

## Examples

- The chef prepared a spicy shrimp diablo for the special.
- We ordered the chicken diablo, which came smothered in a dark, fiery sauce that lived up to its name.
- The traditional preparation of eggs diablo involves devilling the yolks with a heavy hand of cayenne and dry mustard to achieve a sharp, lingering heat.

## Usage notes

- In culinary contexts, often follows the noun it modifies (e.g., 'shrimp diablo').

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