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
There's a little bit for every guy, girl and ghoul, no matter what your fiendish tastes.
—
Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 3 Oct. 2024
The red Indian of the Western plains tied his prisoner to the stake, tortured him, and danced in fiendish glee while his victim writhed in the flames.
—Liz Tracey, JSTOR Daily, 21 Feb. 2025
Jumbo brings a humanizing clarity to Lady Macbeth without in the least compromising her character’s fiendish side.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 19 Feb. 2025
But an indie Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, or even Skate, this is not: Eng is whisking us off to the nine hellish layers of the underworld to complete a series of fiendish skateboarding trials.
—Lewis Gordon, Vulture, 8 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fiendish
Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 3 Oct. 2024
The red Indian of the Western plains tied his prisoner to the stake, tortured him, and danced in fiendish glee while his victim writhed in the flames.
—Liz Tracey, JSTOR Daily, 21 Feb. 2025
Jumbo brings a humanizing clarity to Lady Macbeth without in the least compromising her character’s fiendish side.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 19 Feb. 2025
But an indie Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, or even Skate, this is not: Eng is whisking us off to the nine hellish layers of the underworld to complete a series of fiendish skateboarding trials.
—Lewis Gordon, Vulture, 8 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fiendish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fiendish
Adjective
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The Warrens are also famous for their investigation of a haunted house in Amityville, NY, and the 1980s Connecticut poltergeist case based on a Warren case, in which demonic possession was used unsuccessfully as a defense in a murder trial.—
Pamela McLoughlin,
Hartford Courant,
5 Aug. 2025
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Both characters are playable for specific levels or intervals within a single stage, but primarily they’re fused together (by demonic ninja magic!), making the bulk of their capabilities available at once.—
Christopher Cruz,
Rolling Stone,
30 July 2025
Adjective
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A day after a brutal collision with the railing near the camera well — and a camera — Freddy Fermin is back behind the plate and batting ninth in a lineup identical to Friday’s.—
Jeff Sanders,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
16 Aug. 2025
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The course is a brutal, out-and-back journey of 100 miles through Colorado’s rugged high country, demanding over 15,000 feet of climbing.—
Jenn Nelson,
Forbes.com,
16 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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For The Fin, his team worked to make the dim light extra grainy, giving it a particularly sinister quality.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
7 Aug. 2025
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This turns out to be another name for Galactus, a surprisingly scary Marvel villain played with sinister sincerity by Ralph Ineson.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
22 July 2025
Adjective
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That is a particularly egregious example of how the Trump Administration has been gratuitously cruel to the Sudanese.—
Isaac Chotiner,
New Yorker,
5 Aug. 2025
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Stacy, Tim’s wife, also died of pancreatic cancer five months later in February of 2024, a cruel hand for a family that for years had gone above and beyond in their efforts to raise money and awareness for cancer research.—
Mac Cerullo,
Boston Herald,
3 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Feeling profoundly betrayed and abandoned by David, Rebecca’s loyalty lies with the vicious and conniving Juno, the only family she’s known for the last decade.—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
13 Aug. 2025
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Nothing could possibly go wrong with all the vicious alien specimens on board, right?—
Kelly Lawler,
USA Today,
12 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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As savage Arctic cold was getting ready to surge south across North America, vivid imagery based on data from weather models showed us what was going to happen.—
Tom Yulsman,
Discover Magazine,
27 Dec. 2022
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The 2023 grand marshal is former Arizona Democratic congresswoman Gabby Giffords, gravely wounded in a savage mass shooting in 2011 that also killed six people.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
27 Dec. 2022
Adjective
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Also, after saving the school from Tyler (Hunter Doohan), who was a secret Hyde controlled by the diabolical Marilyn Thornhill (Christina Ricci), Wednesday has become a celebrity of sorts on campus.—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
6 Aug. 2025
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In his diabolical new thriller, Park Chan-wook (Decision to Leave, NYFF60) crafts a dark fable about the cutthroat nature of contemporary work culture and the domestic desperation for material comfort.—
Jill Goldsmith,
Deadline,
5 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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And, if hate doesn't come from inside the show itself, Black women are forced to endure online hate from ruthless fans.—
Kayla Grant,
People.com,
5 Aug. 2025
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The film takes place in the sweltering heat of a Texas summer in 1974, watching as ruthless prisoner Federico Carrasco takes control of the Huntsville Penitentiary.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
5 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Fiendish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fiendish. Accessed 22 Aug. 2025.
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