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
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
Fortnum & Mason Piccadilly puzzle Wentworth makes some of the world’s most fiendish jigsaw puzzles.
—Sarah Turner, Forbes, 1 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for fiendish
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
Fortnum & Mason Piccadilly puzzle Wentworth makes some of the world’s most fiendish jigsaw puzzles.
—Sarah Turner, Forbes, 1 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for fiendish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fiendish
Adjective
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Directed by Jeremiah Kipp, the film is billed as a new chapter in the story that will expand on the game’s world and mythology, delving deeper into the lore of the demonic entities plaguing River Fields.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
24 Apr. 2025
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The film follows Mikey, whose night terrors become reality when his mother begins showing signs of demonic possession.—
Matt Donnelly,
Variety,
23 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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But graduating in 2009 meant stepping into a brutal job market during the Great Recession.—
William Jones,
USA Today,
19 Apr. 2025
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Andrews adds musical interludes, which don’t always work, and brutal jokes, which do.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
18 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Or, more likely, The Sentry is simply the benevolent mirror image of that shadowy, sinister entity that emerges after Bob Reynolds ingests a super serum.—
Jeff Spry,
Space.com,
22 Apr. 2025
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However, what was happening behind the scenes was more sinister than what the public thought.—
Lea Veloso,
StyleCaster,
14 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Such evidence could support the view that incessant loud noise amounts to torture or cruel treatment towards cetaceans, in turn galvanizing support for a new right to be free from such harm.—
David Gruber,
Time,
24 Apr. 2025
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But this is the cruel and unreasonable state of this Administration's deportation policy.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Sandhagen dispatched Edgar with a vicious flying knee 28 seconds into that bout.—
Trent Reinsmith,
Forbes.com,
28 Apr. 2025
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With two hits, one hit-by-pitch and zero outs recorded, Williams then left the mound to a vicious chorus of boos as Aaron Boone summoned Mark Leiter Jr. — not Weaver — from the bullpen.—
Gary Phillips,
New York Daily News,
26 Apr. 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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Brooker puts the carnivorous culture of reality TV on trial in this diabolical hour, set in a world where lower-caste citizens pedal stationary bikes to power their surroundings and earn meager currency.—
Charles Bramesco,
Vulture,
10 Apr. 2025
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But in a more pointed, diabolical way for this afternoon’s players, the sheer density of talent bunched just millimeters behind Pletcher’s River Thames approximates that of a black hole that very well can suck River Thames right down and out into oblivion.—
Guy Martin,
Forbes.com,
8 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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There is the ruthless spymaster Luthen Rael (Stellan Skarsgård) and his mysterious assistant Kleya (Elizabeth Dulau).—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
21 Apr. 2025
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O’Neil had shown a more ruthless streak in dealing with Lemina, stripping the midfielder of the captaincy after those embarrassing post-match scenes at West Ham.—
Steve Madeley,
New York Times,
21 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Fiendish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fiendish. Accessed 3 May. 2025.
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