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.
Arellano: Mark: They’re in the same town as the setting in the hella scary Steven King short story, “You Know They Got a Hell of a Band.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
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
He's called the album "hella weird" with a "wonky edge" that might alienate his parents.
From BBC ● Feb. 12, 2024
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
And he’s right because it’s hella cold in this fast-food restaurant and I notice the goose bumps on my bare arms.
From "Pride" by Ibi Zoboi
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.
