hellhole
Americannoun
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a place totally lacking in comfort, cleanliness, order, etc.
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a place or establishment noted for its illegal or immoral practices.
noun
Etymology
Origin of hellhole
Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; see origin at hell, hole
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.
A consistent message emerged: Los Angeles was not a beautiful, vibrant metropolis with serious problems, but a hellhole verging on being lost for good.
From Slate ● Jun. 9, 2026
A disco ball, aka “myriad reflector,” can turn any trashy hellhole into a party space, especially if you don’t look too closely.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 17, 2026
One can only imagine what's happening to them in that dystopian hellhole of a prison.
From Salon ● Mar. 24, 2025
Columnists Mark Z. Barabak and Anita Chabria took it all in before dashing to catch their flights home to California, that place haters depict as a stinking hellhole.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 19, 2024
“I came to see what kind of a hellhole they put my son into.”
From "Orbiting Jupiter" by Gary D. Schmidt
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.
