1
as in demonic
of, relating to, or worthy of an evil spirit
a fiendish delight in playing cruel tricks
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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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Recent Examples of fiendish
But commercializing nuclear fusion still remains a long way off as scientists work to solve fiendish engineering and scientific difficulties.
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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
The great-grandfathers could be said to resemble fiendish claves.
—Jay Pilgreen, Kansas City Star, 12 Feb. 2024
At least the miscreant is sentenced to return to his original trajectory as a particularly fiendish version of the death penalty.
—Jennifer Ouellette and Sean M. Carroll, Ars Technica, 24 Nov. 2023
See all Example Sentences for fiendish 
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
The great-grandfathers could be said to resemble fiendish claves.
—Jay Pilgreen, Kansas City Star, 12 Feb. 2024
At least the miscreant is sentenced to return to his original trajectory as a particularly fiendish version of the death penalty.
—Jennifer Ouellette and Sean M. Carroll, Ars Technica, 24 Nov. 2023
See all Example Sentences for fiendish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fiendish
Adjective
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His post casting Gallego as demonic the morning before Yom Kippur was called anti-Semitic by Jewish groups.Taylor Seely, The Arizona Republic, 5 Nov. 2024
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Watch Kimmel talk about Carlson's demonic attack — and encourage viewers to go out and vote — in the clip above.EW.com, EW.com, 5 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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Tyson was known for his brutal knockouts, as his first 19 fights ended early — 12 in the first round.Greg Rosenstein, NBC News, 14 Nov. 2024
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In our age of brutal wars, authoritarian politics, cultures of contempt, and technology that promises to replace us with machines, what is left of the idea of the human being?George Packer, The Atlantic, 5 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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Specifically, Bill becomes increasingly aware of young girls being held and abused by the nuns of his convent, led by a sinister mother superior, Sister Mary (played with dark-eyed, cold-hearted terror by Emily Watson).Harrison Richlin, IndieWire, 5 Nov. 2024
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Elliot Page translates vitality and promise as the young teen, while a blood-freezing Catherine Keener is the sinister embodiment of resentment and cruelty.Declan Gallagher and Chris Bellamy, EW.com, 31 Oct. 2024
Adjective
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This soaring exploration of generational trauma starts with Star, a survivor of the 1864 Sand Creek Massacre, who’s forced to speak English and practice Christianity by the man who goes on to found the notoriously cruel Carlisle Indian Industrial School.Lizz Schumer, People.com, 5 Nov. 2024
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But at times, there’s a defensive, slightly cruel streak to his patter that can eclipse his better angels (of which there are many) and test the goodwill of those around him.Gary Goldstein, Los Angeles Times, 2 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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That forces him to descend the 8,000-foot-and-higher safety zone of the Rocky Mountains, and into the lower-elevation danger zone where vicious monsters roam free.John Wenzel, The Denver Post, 14 Nov. 2024
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Scott, the old pro, knows how to give these scenes a vicious vitality that overcomes any thoughts about how the Romans supposedly got live sharks in the water.Alison Willmore, Vulture, 11 Nov. 2024
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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Obviously, very few husbands are as diabolical as Dominique Pelicot and not all men are potential rapists, but one of marriage’s benefits for women used to be a measure of security: not just from poverty or physical attack, but from the expectations of other men.Belinda Luscombe, TIME, 30 Oct. 2024
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The third film sees David Howard Thornton return as the diabolical Art the Clown, who desecrates bodies left and right during the Christmas season.Michaela Zee, Variety, 14 Oct. 2024
Adjective
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Peyser covered the high-profile trial for the Post as a columnist, spending every day in court in order to produce a series of ruthless front-page takes about the Stewart scandal.David Mack, Vulture, 7 Nov. 2024
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The standoff between Blanche’s impractical aestheticism and Stanley’s ruthless pragmatism is the heart of this quintessentially American drama.Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 4 Nov. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near fiendish
Cite this Entry
“Fiendish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fiendish. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
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