fiend

American  

[feend] / find /

noun

1. Satan; the devil.

2. any evil spirit; demon.

3. a diabolically cruel or wicked person.

   Synonyms:

   devil , beast , brute , savage , monster

4. a person or thing that causes mischief or annoyance.

   Those children are little fiends.

5. Informal.  a person who is extremely addicted to some pernicious habit.

   an opium fiend.

6. Informal.  a person who is excessively interested in some game, sport, etc.; fan; buff.

   a bridge fiend.

7. a person who is highly skilled or gifted in something.

   a fiend at languages.

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verb (used without object)

1. Slang.  Also feen to desire greatly.

   just another junkie fiending after his next hit;

   As soon as I finish a cigarette I'm fiending to light another.

fiend ¹ British  

/ fiːnd /

noun

1. an evil spirit; demon; devil

2. a person who is extremely wicked, esp in being very cruel or brutal

3. informal

   1. a person who is intensely interested in or fond of something

      a fresh-air fiend

      he is a fiend for cards

   2. an addict

      a drug fiend

4. (informal) a mischievous or spiteful person, esp a child

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Fiend ² British  

/ fiːnd /

noun

1. the devil; Satan

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Other Word Forms

• fiendlike adjective
• underfiend noun

Etymology

Origin of fiend

First recorded before 900; Middle English feend, Old English fēond; cognate with German Feind, Old Norse fjandr, Gothic fijands “foe,” originally present participle of fijan “to hate”

Example Sentences

The crazed fiend, no surprise, is said to crawl about like a cat and tear into his human victims as if they were canaries.

From The Wall Street Journal

But there are those avid consumers of campaigns and elections, and for the political fiends among us Harris offers plenty of fizz, much of it involving her party peers and prospective 2028 rivals.

From Los Angeles Times

I’m proud to say that I’m a sour candy fiend.

From Salon

Then one day Dennis, Hawthorne’s camp “surf fiend” came home from the beach with an idea—a tune themed on the new surfing craze.

From Los Angeles Times

He conjured the sardonic guru Mr. Natural, a tiny sex fiend called the Snoid and other sweaty, anxious creatures, human and otherwise.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• aficionado
• fanatic
• freak
• maniac