fiendish

adjective

fiend·​ish ˈfēn-dish How to pronounce fiendish (audio)
1
: perversely diabolical
took a fiendish pleasure in hurting people
2
: extremely cruel or wicked
3
: excessively bad, unpleasant, or difficult
fiendish weather
fiendishly adverb
fiendishness noun

Examples of fiendish in a Sentence

He takes a fiendish delight in hurting people. a fiendish delight in playing cruel tricks
Recent Examples on the Web The great-grandfathers could be said to resemble fiendish claves. Jay Pilgreen, Kansas City Star, 12 Feb. 2024 At least the miscreant is sentenced to return to his original trajectory as a particularly fiendish version of the death penalty. Jennifer Ouellette and Sean M. Carroll, Ars Technica, 24 Nov. 2023 The immersive and interactive experience transforms the Nature Gardens into a frightening adventure filled with singing plants, fiendish animals, a skeleton orchestra, prehistoric creatures and magical performances. Steven Vargas, Los Angeles Times, 11 Oct. 2023 Lambert also recommends a few fiendish touches in the guest bathroom. Sarah Wolf Halverson, Better Homes & Gardens, 12 Sep. 2023 The writer of this fiendish plot was (surprise surprise) a puzzle expert. Kenna Hughes-Castleberry, Scientific American, 21 Apr. 2023 Whether navigating solo or partnering up with seven other friends, the game promises a plethora of fiendish puzzles to decipher and conquer. Callum McLennan, Variety, 17 Aug. 2023 He’s also tangled up in a fiendish plot to control the world’s food supplies by bioengineering primeval locusts and unleashing them on American farmland. David Sims, The Atlantic, 8 June 2022 Is there a fiendish error skewing the data? Amir Aczel, Discover Magazine, 3 Oct. 2011

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'fiendish.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1529, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of fiendish was in 1529

Dictionary Entries Near fiendish

Cite this Entry

“Fiendish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fiendish. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

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