hellacious
Americanadjective
-
remarkable; astonishing.
They're raising a hellacious amount of money in taxes.
-
formidably difficult.
We had a hellacious time getting here in the blizzard.
adjective
-
remarkable; horrifying
-
wonderful; excellent
Etymology
Origin of hellacious
hell + -acious (extracted from audacious, sagacious, vivacious, etc.), perhaps with intensive or augmentative force; cf. bodacious, splendacious
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The job requirements are straightforward if not hellacious: Work at the office in person from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2026
No matter which quarterback was under center, the Commanders had trouble stopping San Francisco’s hellacious front.
From Washington Times ● Dec. 24, 2022
That hellacious blaze, which burned nearly 1,000,000 acres through five counties for more than three months, was the largest single wildfire in California history.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 16, 2022
California’s hell of a 2021 is so, well, hellacious that it’s not even giving us the holidays to relax and regroup for what’s already shaping up to be a scary 2022.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 27, 2021
The fear that prickled Mark’s skin was like nothing he’d ever felt, even after all the hellacious things they’d experienced since that day when all went dark in the subtrans.
From "The Kill Order (Maze Runner, Book Four; Origin)" by James Dashner
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
