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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
-
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
-
His first strikeout was part of a brutal sequence.—
Maddie Lee,
Los Angeles Times,
20 June 2026
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The injury is obviously a brutal blow to Canada's starting 11.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
19 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
-
Passing a child who is unprepared may be the cruelest act of all.—
Harriette Cole,
Mercury News,
20 June 2026
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This is your news to share or not share; posting about this on Facebook strikes me as cruel.—
Eric Thomas,
Sun Sentinel,
20 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 story follows vicious ex-con, Max Cady (Bardem) and his revenge plot against married couple Tom (Patrick Wilson) and Anna Bowden (Adams).—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
19 June 2026
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Mahmic’s vicious goal in traffic salvaged some good feeling before a decisive showdown with Qatar next week.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
18 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 23 Jun. 2026.
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