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.
You see, like its siblings, the E-Ray is hella loud.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 18, 2025
“I’d be hella awake if I went to work after this,” Ballesteros said.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 25, 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
“The coolest thing the show is doing is showing that Native people are hella funny,” Thompson said over occasional roars from Mariners fans.
From Seattle Times • Sep. 7, 2022
“Dude, you’ve been hella weird the past few days.”
From "Odd One Out" by Nic Stone
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.
