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.
Saban had turned another national stage into a disaster, a vast abyss of icy winds and hellacious fury.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 2, 2024
“But I know that she was really proud of the fact that the other pilots would follow her into this hellacious scenario with complete trust.”
From New York Times ● Jan. 28, 2023
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
“We could be in for a hellacious event,” he said.
From "The Hot Zone" by Richard Preston
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.
