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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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
  • Pane and McKay revealed that British actor Simon Pegg will voice the Balrog, a giant demonic monster who helps Sauron forge the One Ring.
    — Laura Sirikul, Forbes.com, 27 July 2026
  • Higuchi was already at home in this rubbery soundworld, but his determination to work out his own feelings in this already frenzied context pushes his music past the cartoonish and into the truly demonic.
    — Daniel Bromfield, Pitchfork, 27 July 2026
Definition of demonic
Adjective
  • His brutal murder in Culiacán, the capital of the northwestern Mexican state of Sinaloa, happened in just a few seconds on Tuesday in front of an audience of thousands of social media users watching his TikTok stream.
    — Rey Rodríguez, CNN Money, 8 Aug. 2026
  • Deliberate exposure is a brutal test — in this trial, 81% of the placebo group got sick, experiencing diarrhea and fever in some cases before receiving antibiotics.
    — Joseph Kim, NPR, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of brutal
Adjective
  • Like the initial story, Millie’s employers (Dunst and Kelly portray the spouses) are harboring a dark, sinister secret.
    — Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 4 Aug. 2026
  • As Digital Digging's Henk Van Ess noted, however, this tool also opens the door for more sinister uses.
    — Jibin Joseph, PC Magazine, 31 July 2026
Definition of sinister
Adjective
  • Impermanence turns out to be the cruelest fact and the most merciful one at once.
    — Dr. Lucy McBride, Time, 8 Aug. 2026
  • His central characters can be nasty, disgusting, violent, hysterically cruel, and passionately consumed.
    — CT Jones, Rolling Stone, 8 Aug. 2026
Definition of cruel
Adjective
  • The actress also had a memorable guest turn on The Vampire Diaries and reunited with Ben McKenzie for a diabolical three-episode run on Gotham.
    — Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 5 Aug. 2026
  • Super-secret spec-ops military squads facing off against the next diabolical terrorist threat.
    — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026
Definition of diabolical
Adjective
  • Several celebrities and their PR teams have denounced Hilton for his vicious public insults, including Khloe Kardashian, Miley Cyrus, and Lady Gaga, a former friend of Hilton.
    — Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 5 Aug. 2026
  • The prequel details the vicious battle between former friends Princess Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy) and Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke) for the Iron Throne and its subsequent reverberations.
    — Emlyn Travis, Entertainment Weekly, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of vicious
Adjective
  • The company wants advanced cybersecurity models to strengthen digital defenses by helping security teams identify and fix vulnerabilities before malicious actors can exploit them.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Their job is to hack devices and patch exploits before malicious actors do.
    — Justyn Newman, PC Magazine, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of malicious
Adjective
  • Golf star Charley Hull pulled off a savage prank on her caddie, Adam Woodward, earlier in the week, and some people were upset about it.
    — Ryan Canfield, FOXNews.com, 31 July 2026
  • 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
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 10 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of fiendish for Spanish Speakers

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