hellhole

[ hel-hohl ]

/ ˈhɛlˌhoʊl /

noun

a place totally lacking in comfort, cleanliness, order, etc.

a place or establishment noted for its illegal or immoral practices.

Nearby words

helles, hellespont, hellespontus, hellfire, hellgrammite, hellhole, hellhound, hellin's law, hellinger, hellion, hellish

Origin of hellhole

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; see origin at hell, hole

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for hellhole

They'd tell you immediately that we need security around our ambassador in a hellhole like Benghazi.
Don't Blame Gay Men for Benghazi|David Frum|October 19, 2012|DAILY BEAST
“This place was a hellhole,” says Akram Mohamed Ramadan, a rebel fighter who came to visit the prison on Friday.
Return to Tripoli’s Notorious Jail|Babak Dehghanpisheh|August 28, 2011|DAILY BEAST
From these headquarters, Maria Leon and her family had turned the neighborhood into a hellhole.
The Gangster Matriarch of L.A.|Christine Pelisek|September 13, 2010|DAILY BEAST
At least I could comfort myself with the thought that the mom and kid got out of that hellhole alive.
My Disney Cruise from Hell|Laura Bennett|April 9, 2010|DAILY BEAST

The flag which floats over every hellhole of mine and mill and prison?
The Red Conspiracy|Joseph J. Mereto
But near the Mammoth Hot Springs is a hellhole that did attract me.
Wild Animals at Home|Ernest Thompson Seton

British Dictionary definitions for hellhole

hellhole

/ (ˈhɛlˌhəʊl) /

noun

an unpleasant or evil place

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012