1
as in demonic
of, relating to, or worthy of an evil spirit
a fiendish delight in playing cruel tricks
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
Mason Alexander Park brings a David Bowie-ish quality to St. Jimmy, Johnny’s fiendish drug dealer.
—
Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 11 Oct. 2024
The favorite characters return, their fiendish traits on full display.
—Vogue, 19 July 2024
But commercializing nuclear fusion still remains a long way off as scientists work to solve fiendish engineering and scientific difficulties.
—Laura Paddison, CNN, 1 Apr. 2024
In the 1940s, the deviled egg was a cocktail party staple and today the fiendish eggs are still a potluck favorite.
—Sarah Mosqueda, Los Angeles Times, 28 Mar. 2024
See all Example Sentences for fiendish 
Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 11 Oct. 2024
The favorite characters return, their fiendish traits on full display.
—Vogue, 19 July 2024
But commercializing nuclear fusion still remains a long way off as scientists work to solve fiendish engineering and scientific difficulties.
—Laura Paddison, CNN, 1 Apr. 2024
In the 1940s, the deviled egg was a cocktail party staple and today the fiendish eggs are still a potluck favorite.
—Sarah Mosqueda, Los Angeles Times, 28 Mar. 2024
See all Example Sentences for fiendish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fiendish
Adjective
-
As was common for the times, many blamed the sudden outbreak on witchcraft or demonic possessions.—
Kay Johnson,
Twin Cities,
6 Feb. 2025
-
Written and directed by Clive Barker in his directorial debut, Hellraiser sees a woman try to banish a sadistic group of demonic beings back to their own dimension after inadvertently releasing from a mysterious puzzle box.—
Jonathan Granoff,
Newsweek,
28 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
The occasional injury is unavoidable in a tournament where the intensity is this high, but that doesn’t make the outcome any less brutal for Theodore and the Golden Knights. 4.—
Sean McIndoe,
The Athletic,
17 Feb. 2025
-
Though the claims of uniquely brutal violence are mostly anecdotal, their shocking nature has become the cornerstone of such groups' outreach to Western leaders.—
Josh Hammer,
Newsweek,
14 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Her decision to give her baby up for adoption exposes the sinister dealings of Dagmar Overbye (Trine Dyrholm), the female Danish serial killer whose true-life murder of dozens of children in the 1910s inspired the film.—
Brande Victorian,
The Hollywood Reporter,
13 Feb. 2025
-
The instrumental is decidedly sinister, and his vocals sound eerily similar to Michael’s.—
Matthew Ismael Ruiz,
Vulture,
12 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Immigrant advocates call those moves cruel and unnecessary.—
Joel Rose,
NPR,
8 Feb. 2025
-
The current government’s purposeful misrepresentation and defamation of DEI in such a comprehensively cruel and malicious manner deserves nothing less than personal and communal outrage and resistance.—
Dr. Tony Lux,
Chicago Tribune,
8 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
By the time Hezbollah launched its bombardment of Israel in solidarity with Hamas' vicious attack on Israel, the militant Lebanese organization had managed to build a significant military capability under the nose of UNFIL and was more robust than ever before.—
Dan Perry,
Newsweek,
13 Feb. 2025
-
Nashville's Bad Idea is a wine bar and restaurant set in a former Presbyterian church that fell into disrepair after a vicious tornado.—
USA TODAY,
USA TODAY,
13 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
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
-
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
-
The actress also had a memorable guest turn in The Vampire Diaries (2010–2017) and a diabolical three-episode run on Gotham (2016).—
Sezin Devi Koehler,
EW.com,
8 Feb. 2025
-
Indeed, the moderate Israeli opposition would have no choice but to support him, freeing him of the diabolical Israeli far-right.—
David Faris,
Newsweek,
3 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Rachel Weisz and Emma Stone are delicious as the two ruthless favorites of the monarch, who try to outmaneuver each other at all costs.—
Radhika Seth,
Vogue,
9 Feb. 2025
-
The ruthless brutality by Iraq and Iran displayed the lengths to which the region’s governments were willing to go to silence the Kurds.—
Sefa Secen & Serhun Al / Made by History,
TIME,
7 Feb. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near fiendish
Cite this Entry
“Fiendish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fiendish. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share