hella
Americanadverb
adjective
Etymology
Origin of hella
First recorded in 1980–85; probably shortening of helluva
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 RWD version—rated at 315 hp and 332 lb-ft—is agreeably nimble, well balanced, rock solid and hella responsive.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 16, 2026
“Oakland in ’87 was hella wild,” gloats rapper Too Short, the film’s narrator.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 4, 2025
Santos has a lot on his plate right now: His hella suspicious finances are under investigation, and Brazil is reopening a fraud case related to his alleged use of a stolen checkbook in 2008.
From Slate ● Jan. 3, 2023
"I just remember it being hella cold," he said.
From BBC ● Feb. 25, 2022
“Oh yeah it does, most definitely it has an ocean, only it’s purple, and the sand is blue and the sky is hella green.”
From "I'll Give You the Sun" by Jandy Nelson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
