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
Johann Sebastian Bach’s The Art of Fugue is a fiendish work of near-mythical status.
—
Genevieve Marks, Air Mail, 25 Oct. 2025
But a new shingle (and URL) outside the Pentagon does not solve the fiendish challenges of running the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Coast Guard and Space Force.
—Andreas Kluth, Twin Cities, 11 Sep. 2025
The entirety of the conundrum that the Epstein files have presented to the Trump administration was created because Trump and his subordinates continuously dangled the carrot of releasing the Epstein files and of holding elites accountable for their fiendish behavior.
—Rafael Perez, Oc Register, 10 Aug. 2025
But that’s just the cherry on top of a perfectly cartoonish opening to the best film this fiendish horror franchise from the 2000s has ever known.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 13 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for fiendish
Genevieve Marks, Air Mail, 25 Oct. 2025
But a new shingle (and URL) outside the Pentagon does not solve the fiendish challenges of running the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Coast Guard and Space Force.
—Andreas Kluth, Twin Cities, 11 Sep. 2025
The entirety of the conundrum that the Epstein files have presented to the Trump administration was created because Trump and his subordinates continuously dangled the carrot of releasing the Epstein files and of holding elites accountable for their fiendish behavior.
—Rafael Perez, Oc Register, 10 Aug. 2025
But that’s just the cherry on top of a perfectly cartoonish opening to the best film this fiendish horror franchise from the 2000s has ever known.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 13 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for fiendish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fiendish
Adjective
-
The original Exorcist, based on the novel by William Peter Blatty and directed by William Friedkin, focused on the demonic possession of a young girl and the priests that try to save her.—
Borys Kit,
HollywoodReporter,
4 Feb. 2026
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Clive Barker's adaptation of his own novella, The Hellbound Heart, introduced us to one of the scariest cinematic baddies, Pinhead, leader of a group of sadomasochistic demonic beings who are summoned by humans either accidentally or in pursuit of pleasures of their own.—
Kevin Jacobsen,
Entertainment Weekly,
31 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
On one of the coldest days of the year, a brutal winter storm left a cat on the brink of disaster — until a hero stepped in.—
Kendall Malinchock,
USA Today,
6 Feb. 2026
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Iranian authorities responded by launching a brutal crackdown on protests, according to observers.—
Kevin Shalvey,
ABC News,
6 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
One of them has fashioned a sinister balaclava out of his cap and neck gaiter.—
Jessica Winter,
New Yorker,
31 Jan. 2026
-
While the visual effect can be startling, there is nothing sinister at play.—
Ahmad Bajjey,
CBS News,
30 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Young people are growing up in a climate that can feel cruel, divided or lonely.—
Julie Ruth Owen,
The Orlando Sentinel,
31 Jan. 2026
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And cutting nurses’ health care benefits is just cruel.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
31 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
My deep cynicism thinks this was a diabolical plan to herd young people toward expensive, and somewhat useless, college degrees.—
Tim Carter,
Hartford Courant,
31 Jan. 2026
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Weisz gives two of her best performances — aggressive and sinister here, meek and contemplative there — to craft a diabolical portrait of primal codependency.—
Declan Gallagher,
Entertainment Weekly,
30 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Though initial jobless claims hit their highest level in nearly two months last week, the move was largely attributed to a vicious and widespread winter storm that affected large parts of the nation.—
Jeff Cox,
CNBC,
6 Feb. 2026
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As Dee takes Taylor under his wing, a vicious attack tests their bond, forcing Taylor to choose between protecting Dee and his own parole chances.—
Alex Ritman,
Variety,
5 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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The Russian general was one of several GRU officials sanctioned by the United States in 2016 for wide-ranging malicious cyber activity directed at undermining US democratic processes.—
Anna Chernova,
CNN Money,
6 Feb. 2026
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The best way to safeguard yourself from malicious links that install malware, potentially accessing your private information, is to have strong antivirus software installed on all your devices.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
5 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Today Iranians are mourning thousands of their fellow citizens who were massacred during savage crackdowns on recent protests in Iran.—
Ramin Jahanbegloo,
Time,
3 Feb. 2026
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Sons of Anarchy was praised for its stellar writing, operatic plotting, and cast of actors who breathed vivid life into their characters, giving even the most savage moments a dose of humanity.—
Declan Gallagher,
Entertainment Weekly,
16 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fiendish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fiendish. Accessed 8 Feb. 2026.
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