fiendish

American  

[feen-dish] / ˈfin dɪʃ /

adjective

1. diabolically cruel and wicked.

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fiendish British  

/ ˈfiːndɪʃ /

adjective

1. of or like a fiend

2. diabolically wicked or cruel

3. informal extremely difficult or unpleasant

   a fiendish problem

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• fiendishness
  noun
• fiendishly
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of fiendish

First recorded in 1520–30; fiend + -ish ¹

Explanation

To be fiendish is to be cruel or evil. You might choose not to watch horror films — or soap operas — if you're not a fan of seeing people do fiendish things to each other. Fiendish behavior is terrible and vicious, and fiendish people behave without kindness or conscience. An informal, less serious way to use the adjective is to mean "complicated or difficult." You might, for example, describe your fiendish calculus exam or rave about the fiendish plot in your favorite book. Fiendish comes from fiend, "evil spirit," with its Old English root feogan, "to hate."

Related Words

• brutish
• nefarious