His hands were trembling, actually trembling, as if he were some sort of coffee fiend or something. T. Coraghessan Boyle, The Road to Wellville, 1993Wodehouse may not have liked Dickens, but he certainly read him. He read like a fiend. Christopher Hitchens, Times Literary Supplement, 7-13 Sept. 1990The shameless effrontery of the fiend, at the café, pretending to forget all he had done to her, begging to take up with her again, as if nothing had happened between them a dozen years ago. Irving Wallace, The Plot, 1967 a fiend in human form He's a real golf fiend.
Recent Examples on the WebMegan Fox displays formidable comedic chops in the title role of a young woman who is turned into a blood-sucking fiend after she is assaulted by a group of alt-rocking Satanists. Declan Gallagher, EW.com, 27 Aug. 2022 The island is also inhabited by shape-shifters, demons and a powerful fiend named El Cuco. Mary Quattlebaum, Washington Post, 13 July 2022 The father, Ram Karan, a widower and a petty administrator whose job amounts to coercing bribes from petty officials, is also a fiend.New York Times, 12 July 2022 Between the fitness fiend's career to his educational background, here's everything to know about Vassall. Skyler Caruso, PEOPLE.com, 12 July 2022 The central plot casts Elvis (Austin Butler) as the victim of a powerful and devious bloodsucking fiend.New York Times, 23 June 2022 Whether your dog is a treat fiend, a toy lover, or even a dog clothes tolerator, there’s a fantastic dog subscription box that will suit their tastes pawfectly. Sara Coughlin, SELF, 17 May 2022 As Aaron Paul's Caleb Nichols struggles to crawl away from a robotic fiend, Jeffrey Wright's Bernard Lowe is shaking while surrounded by blood. Dory Jackson, PEOPLE.com, 10 May 2022 Read the full discussion with the White House's own Wordle fiend at The Ringer. Brendan Morrow, The Week, 18 Apr. 2022 See More
Word History
Etymology
Middle English, from Old English fīend; akin to Old High German fīant enemy, Sanskrit pīyati he reviles, blames
First Known Use
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Time Traveler
The first known use of fiend was before the 12th century