fiend

[feend]

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.

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

/ 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

Fiend

²

/ fiːnd /

noun

1. the devil; Satan

Other Word Forms

• fiendlike adjective
• underfiend noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of fiend¹

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”

Word History and Origins

Origin of fiend¹

Old English fēond ; related to Old Norse fjāndi enemy, Gothic fijands , Old High German fīant

Example Sentences

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

He’s a workout fiend, just like his father, Bill, was before him.

From Los Angeles Times

She is also a fiend for makgeolli, the Korean rice wine, of which she claims to drink one or two bottles every day.

From New York Times

Related Words

• aficionado 
• fanatic 
• freak 
• maniac