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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of fiendish
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
Next up is Pagli, a madwoman with a thin, charred body, fiendish laugh, and ghoulish shrieks.
—JSTOR Daily, 30 Oct. 2025
Johann Sebastian Bach’s The Art of Fugue is a fiendish work of near-mythical status.
—Genevieve Marks, Air Mail, 25 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fiendish
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
Next up is Pagli, a madwoman with a thin, charred body, fiendish laugh, and ghoulish shrieks.
—JSTOR Daily, 30 Oct. 2025
Johann Sebastian Bach’s The Art of Fugue is a fiendish work of near-mythical status.
—Genevieve Marks, Air Mail, 25 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fiendish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fiendish
Adjective
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Authorities said Proper kept a journal outlining his belief that a larger group worships a demonic figure and engages in the ritual sacrifice of children.—
Bonny Chu,
FOXNews.com,
17 June 2026
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Together with his assistant Patricia (Kate O’Flynn) and true believer Wyck (Stephen Root), Tom discovers the off vibes originate with a pact between town founder Richard Warren (Hamish Linklater) and the demonic force that inhabits the island.—
Alison Herman,
Variety,
17 June 2026
Adjective
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Higher-level inmates gorge themselves; those below face starvation, suicide or cannibalism – a brutal metaphor for the world’s food chain.—
John Hopewell,
Variety,
12 June 2026
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The president’s instinct to go for the jugular was on display in his first campaign, when he was written off early on as an entertainer but found success with brutal takedowns.—
Zac Anderson,
USA Today,
12 June 2026
Adjective
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At the very least, they are connected to a sinister entity that preys on the minds of its victims.—
Nick Romano,
Entertainment Weekly,
16 June 2026
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There’s been something sinister afoot in provincial France in recent years.—
Jessica Kiang,
Variety,
16 June 2026
Adjective
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Still, the simple story — written by Jordan Tannahill, who adapted his own book, and directed by Janicza Bravo — illustrates various destructive choices and cruel actions ostensibly driven by love.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
12 June 2026
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Here is the part that feels especially cruel.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
12 June 2026
Adjective
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In this rendition, the diabolical duo of Todd and Lovett are younger, more wiry, more tightly wound and thus more dangerous.—
Christopher Arnott,
Hartford Courant,
16 June 2026
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Consider, for example, his approach to one of the most diabolical tasks in the show’s history, in which players were challenged to complete seven different sub-tasks without any hint of the correct order.—
Matthew Jackson,
Vulture,
12 June 2026
Adjective
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The tabloids have been extra vicious of late regarding your family strife.—
Marlow Stern,
Variety,
12 June 2026
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Firefighters faced vicious winds and, at times, 30-foot flames.—
Jaclyn Cosgrove,
Los Angeles Times,
11 June 2026
Adjective
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Tech companies are developing tools and collaborating, yet voluntary efforts struggle against sophisticated malicious actors.—
Richard Fowler,
Forbes.com,
18 June 2026
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For cybersecurity companies, identifying a digital agent crawling a website used to be enough evidence of malicious activity.—
Rachyl Jones,
semafor.com,
17 June 2026
Adjective
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Harron slyly transforms it into a savage social satire, using the narrator’s unreliable point of view to borderline absurdist effect.—
Declan Gallagher,
Entertainment Weekly,
9 June 2026
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What begins as a desperate family bonding trip rapidly devolves into savage violence and brutal psychological warfare.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
3 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fiendish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fiendish. Accessed 19 Jun. 2026.
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