fiendish

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adjective fiend·ish \ ˈfēn-dish \

Definition of fiendish

1 :perversely diabolical

took a fiendish pleasure in hurting people

2 :extremely cruel or wicked

3 :excessively bad, unpleasant, or difficult

fiendish weather

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fiendishly

adverb

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fiendishness

noun

See fiendish defined for English-language learners

Examples of fiendish in a Sentence

He takes a fiendish delight in hurting people.
a fiendish delight in playing cruel tricks

Recent Examples of fiendish from the Web

Those of fiendish or mischievous mind will have an easier time registering trademarks after the Supreme Court on Monday decided to reject as unconstitutional a rule against disparaging ones.

— eriq gardner, Billboard, "Supreme Court Rules In Favor Of The Slants In Disparaging Trademark Ruling," 20 June 2017
Those of fiendish or mischievous mind will have an easier time registering trademarks after the Supreme Court on Monday decided to reject as unconstitutional a rule against disparaging ones.

— eriq gardner, Billboard, "Supreme Court Rules In Favor Of The Slants In Disparaging Trademark Ruling," 19 June 2017
Trump was wise not to try to concoct a phony justification for using the doctrine, which at best would have been a delaying tactic and only increased the already-fiendish interest in the specifics of Comey's testimony.

— john w. dean, CNN, "John Dean: Why Trump's Comey concession is a sham," 6 June 2017
One section of the slide had dropped out of sight like some kind of fiendish trap door.

— gary peterson, The Mercury News, "20 years ago: ‘Bodies came falling out of the sky’ in Concord water park tragedy," 4 June 2017
These fiendish folks also plied me with snacks and beverages.

— mike danahey, chicagotribune.com, "Radio Shopping Show marathon hosts get street-level view of Elgin," 15 May 2017
This was in the middle of a torrid Arkansas summer, when the humidity reaches a fiendish stickiness unknown outside of Dante’s Inferno.

— bulletin board, Twin Cities, "Sunday Bulletin Board: Life as clown alley knew it — or: When a white clown fell in love with a black showgirl . . .," 26 Feb. 2017
Like painter Ron English, who’s churned out dozens of fiendish variations on the Ronald McDonald mascot, TrustoCorp uses 21st-century brand-name iconography as raw material for its art.

— hugh hart, WIRED, "TrustoCorp Shows What’s Inside 100% American Female," 23 Oct. 2010

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'fiendish.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of fiendish

1529

fiendish Synonyms

Synonyms

cacodemonic, demoniac (also demoniacal), demonian, demonic (also demonical), devilish, diabolical (or diabolic), Luciferian, satanic

Antonyms

angelic (or angelical)

Related Words

hellish, infernal; baleful, evil, sinister; malevolent, malicious, malignant; heinous, monstrous; black, immoral, iniquitous, nefarious, vicious, vile, villainous, wicked; barbarous, cruel, ferocious, inhuman, savage

Near Antonyms

celestial, heavenly; beneficent, benevolent, benign, benignant; godly, holy, sainted, saintly; ethical, good, moral, righteous, virtuous

FIENDISH Defined for English Language Learners

fiendish

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adjective

Definition of fiendish for English Language Learners

: very evil or cruel
: extremely bad, unpleasant, or difficult

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Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for fiendish Spanish Central: Translation of fiendish Nglish: Translation of fiendish for Spanish speakers

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Examples of fiendish in a Sentence

Recent Examples of fiendish from the Web

First Known Use of fiendish

fiendish Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related Words

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FIENDISH Defined for English Language Learners

fiendish

Definition of fiendish for English Language Learners

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