fiendish

adjective

ˈfēn-dish How to pronounce fiendish (audio)
Definition of fiendishnext
1
as in demonic
of, relating to, or worthy of an evil spirit a fiendish delight in playing cruel tricks

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in brutal
having or showing the desire to inflict severe pain and suffering on others shook with fiendish laughter as he watched his victims writhe in agony

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of fiendish Plotting kind of my most fiendish, happy, mad scientist state. — Literary Hub, 4 May 2026 The soloist in the Sibelius was a mediocre violinist ill-equipped to deal with the concerto’s profound emotions and fiendish technical demands. — Luis Palomares, Miami Herald, 27 Feb. 2026 Jim Carrey plays the eponymous Grinch, a fiendish Whoville outlaw who declares war on the festive season. — Danny Horn, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Nov. 2025 Miller works with him to refine the routes, placing checkpoints that are both fair and fiendish. — New Atlas, 1 Nov. 2025 See All Example Sentences for fiendish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fiendish
  1. demonic
  2. brutal
  3. sinister
  4. cruel
  5. diabolical
  6. vicious
  7. malicious
  8. savage
Adjective
  • The devil invades a Georgetown home, and holy men have quite the job to do on a demonic little girl.
    — Brian Truitt, USA Today, 1 July 2026
  • Carlson has spoken of his own brush with demonic forces, who left him bloodied and scratched in the night, while his wife and their four spaniels slept undisturbed.
    — Eliza Griswold, New Yorker, 22 June 2026
Definition of demonic
Adjective
  • And Addy, perhaps the most brutal American Girl story, is enslaved.
    — Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 3 July 2026
  • In January, the government suppressed huge nationwide protests in a brutal crackdown that left thousands dead.
    — Elizabeth Robinson, NBC news, 3 July 2026
Definition of brutal
Adjective
  • Dorothea centers on a Sacramento woman (Davis) who ran a boarding house for the less fortunate in the 1980s, but her seemingly benevolent actions belied her sinister motives.
    — Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 7 July 2026
  • The score drips with a sinister ostinato as the rats scurry into every corner of her castle.
    — Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 6 July 2026
Definition of sinister
Adjective
  • The heat has become so unbearable in Japan that weather officials in April announced a new term for days when maximum temperatures exceed 104 degrees — kokushobi, meaning harsh or cruel heat, according to the Japan Times.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 6 July 2026
  • For thousands of Venezuelans, however, the lack of definitive answers has become one of the tragedy’s cruelest consequences.
    — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 3 July 2026
Definition of cruel
Adjective
  • From perhaps the most diabolical spot on the entire course.
    — Brendan Quinn, New York Times, 20 June 2026
  • The diabolical reality of growth.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 18 June 2026
Definition of diabolical
Adjective
  • The early Cold War liberals had read their history books and seen how the French Revolution had begun with high progressive hopes but descended into a vicious bloodbath.
    — David Brooks, The Atlantic, 8 July 2026
  • After a similarly vicious storm struck the New York area late Friday, hundreds of thousands of utility customers were left without power, trains to New Jersey were canceled and thousands of trees were damaged or uprooted.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 4 July 2026
Definition of vicious
Adjective
  • According to the Macomb County Prosecutor's Office, 37-year-old Adam Mazur-Baker was arraigned Tuesday on one count of using a computer to commit a crime and one count of malicious use of telecommunications services.
    — DeJanay Booth-Singleton, CBS News, 2 July 2026
  • This command executes malicious code inside the AppleScript directly.
    — Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 2 July 2026
Definition of malicious
Adjective
  • The Yellow Death has disfigured the population, and soldiers in white-and-red tunics serve the savage Duke of Tviot.
    — Dan Piepenbring, Harpers Magazine, 30 June 2026
  • Josefowicz, in her decathlon of a performance, brought Ligeti’s savage discontinuities to the surface.
    — Alex Ross, New Yorker, 29 June 2026
Definition of savage

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Cite this Entry

“Fiendish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fiendish. Accessed 11 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of fiendish for Spanish Speakers

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